Cheap Thrills
by DoubleRG
Summary: What if Alex wasn't Lee Burley's only daughter? What happens when Alex finds out she has a sister? Is she ready for drastic life changes? - AU Vauseman / A.N. - Currently on vacation so probably no update until 3rd week of August. I'm sorry for the long wait guys.
1. Chapter 1

**I woke up today to the realization I apparently don't own OITNB and its characters. Those pesky dreams...**

* * *

Alex is already on a huge power trip and in too deep with the cartel when they meet.

She's on one of her usual local bars, downing her beer and laughing along with her soon-to-be mules when the girl catches her eye. She looks at Alex for a second, as if contemplating something, but soon she's walking steadily and straight at her. Alex is immediately intrigued by the sizzling determination on her face and turns her head to look at her openly. She feels a chill running down her spine and just a twinge of uneasiness, which she revels on. The slim girl looks tired and out of place but has captured her attention and Alex makes sure she knows it, eyeing her up and down unashamedly.

"Hey there beautiful," she says as soon as the girl is within an arm's reach. Alex takes another sip of her beer and smirks. The girl looks young. _"But it could work,"_ she thinks

"Uhm, hey," she replies. The girl is feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, and unsure of what she's really expecting to accomplish here. The older brunette looks so smug she just loses all her resolve and decides to make a quick escape.

Alex reacts quickly and grabs the wary girl's wrist gently. "Hey, wait a second pretty girl," she says. "What's your name? Sit around with us for a moment." Alex could benefit from such a young mule. Young and innocent looking mules are rarely caught by airport security when they stick to some specific routes. She could profit immensely from her. "Let me show you a good time." She winks, biting her lip suggestively, ignoring the small hint of familiarity she recognizes in the girl.

The younger brunette stuffs her hands in her worn jacket and looks down. She feels the disappointment bubble inside her stomach and knows she's made a mistake by coming here tonight. She shakes her head at Alex and takes a step back.

"Come on," Alex insists. "I'll rock your world," she coaxes, leaning forward a bit. There's a round of snorting and chuckling at the table but Alex ignores it. Her intense gaze is on the doe eyed brunette.

"I'm sorry, I…" the girl stammers. "I shouldn't have come." The sick feeling on the pit of her stomach is so great she can't look at the older brunette, which rattles Alex.

"Why did you come then, pretty girl?" She asks with her trademark smirk still plastered on her face. Under Alex's scrutiny, the younger girl just feels herself wanting to evaporate into thin air. She feels like a prey and wants to run. Yet, she remembers all the nights she kept wide awake, thinking about this very person, wondering about her, what she would be like. With that thought in her mind, she dismisses her fear and disgust and manages to muster enough courage to look up into bright green eyes.

"You're my sister," she blurts out.

Alex's smirk drops instantly and she shudders. Someone whistles dramatically at the table but she doesn't even care to glare at them. Alex gets up slowly, needing to feel taller to regain control. The girl cowers before her and takes two frantic steps back. Alex catches Fahri in the corner of her eye and knows he's interested in the exchange, paying full attention to her and to what's going on.

"I'm what?" Alex whispers, incredulity written all over her face. There's a mix of feelings rushing through her as the familiarity falls into place and becomes all of a sudden very obvious to her. What rattles her the most is that it's not even the very subtle physical similarities that tug mostly at her heart, it's the perfect recollection of the fact that 9 years ago she was this girl. She was in this exact position, looking just as disgusted, just as disappointed, just as heartbroken, as the man who was supposed to be her father hit on her and behaved as inappropriately as he could. Alex swallowed a lump on her throat at the memory.

"You're my sister," the smaller girl whispers in reply, looking away from Alex's intense stare. "I'm sorry, I… just…" but the words die out as all she feels is rejection. "Please just forget I came." She turns quickly before Alex gets a chance to react and almost sprints into the bathroom, trying to avoid the tears from falling, but failing miserably. She sobs silently and fights off her own jacket, feeling it sticking to her skin, adding to her disgust. Her sister had practically eyefucked her, treated her like some piece of meat. It sickened her because in her mind she had built the fantasy that if her sister ever took one look at her, she would know immediately who she was. She had had high expectations that were now falling with her down into a bottomless pit.

She took a deep, shaky breath and turned to look at her reflexion in the mirror. She cringed at the look of her red, swollen eyes and turned the tap water to wash her face. All she wanted now was to wash off this day.

#####

As the bathroom door opened, Alex straightened her posture.

"Hey," she whispered as the girl came out disgruntled. She saw as the young brunette flinched at her voice and Alex knew instantly she hadn't expected her to come after her. When it had been her, she remembers having had the same expectation. The difference was, she wasn't willing to be a shameless asshole like her father. She wanted to at least begin to understand this whole mess.

The girl clutched at her jacket, hugging it closer to her body, feeling exposed. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to bother you. I'll just be on my way out now."

She tried to move past Alex, without even daring to move her eyes from her feet, when she felt strong hands on her clammy arms, keeping her in place.

"I'm sorry, kid. I had no idea," Alex apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you away," she said.

Molten chocolate eyes looked up tentatively and relaxed when they spotted no hint of a smirk. It was quite shocking to absorb all the honesty and softness Alex now sported, that contrasted heavily with the overpowering smugness and inadequacy from before.

"I can obviously assume you're Lee's," Alex pried, shuddering at the image of the revolting little man.

"Yeah. I'm uh… I'm Charlotte," she said. "Burley," she added in a tone so low it was barely audible. Alex didn't miss the twinge of embarrassment with which Charlotte whispered her surname and she couldn't help but relate. Even though she thankfully didn't have his surname, Alex felt her skin crawling just knowing they shared DNA. "But everyone just calls me Charlie, so… yeah."

Alex nodded. It was unnecessary, she was more than sure, but she still said it. "I'm Alex."

"Yeah. Vause. I know."

Alex pursed her lips and they stared awkwardly at one another without knowing what the political correct way to proceed would be.

"It's late," Alex ended up pointing out. "Do you have a place to crash?"

Charlie nodded, waving her hand in dismissal. She definitely didn't want to impose. "Oh yeah. Yeah. Don't worry," she said quickly.

Alex pulled back her black rimmed glasses and raised her eyebrow in a smirk. "You're a fucking terrible liar, kid."

The younger girl blushed and shrugged. "I didn't come here looking for anything. I don't want to storm into your life. I just wanted to see who you were."

At that, Alex kept silent. She was still trying to understand the brunette, but she knew from experience Charlotte had come to her looking for something. She knew she, herself, had been very hopeful to find family and a connection, she had craved to feel loved and wanted by her father, she had wanted to quench all her insecurities and fears, but she had found none of that when she met Lee. And unfortunately for Charlie, Alex wasn't sure she was in a position to offer her sister anything like that either. She frowned. Maybe she had something in common with her sperm donor after all: emotional unavailability.

"You're coming home with me for tonight." It was the least she could offer. And by the way the girl's eyes perked up, hopeful, Alex was very glad she had offered.


	2. Chapter 2

"You actually live here?!" Charlie asked astonished as Alex drove the midnight blue Aston Martin into the private garage of her condo apartment.

The older brunette laughed. "I do, but wait until you are upstairs to be impressed with the view. The garage is not that sexy," she boasted.

"This is so awesome Alex!" Charlie was in awe. She took off her seat belt and craned her neck from the window to gawk at the amazing car collection, all shiny and vibrant in color - from the Ferrari red to the bright yellow. It was as much insane as it was impressive to witness such a collection.

Alex turned her head at the sound of her name. She pulled the brake and cut the engine, taking a moment to appreciate the girl's eagerness and relish in the warm feeling of hearing her little sister calling her name so freely for the first time. She could hardly believe she had a sister. After 33 years of being an only child it was something she thought would take a while to get used to, so it surprised her when she couldn't help it but feel the corners of her lips tugging gently upwards at the brand new notion.

"You coming?" Alex asked when there was no indication of Charlotte wanting to budge from the seat, too caught up with the cars. Her voice was enough to buzz her back to reality and the shorter brunette nodded enthusiastically before climbing out.

She followed Alex with a smile and purposefully walked behind her, watching in wonderment as Alex carried herself with such confidence. She averted her gaze again as they entered the elevator and her smile faded as the tension between them grew back. There was a lot to be discussed, they were perfect strangers to each other and Charlotte's heart raced at the thought maybe Alex was just taking pity on her. Maybe her big sister couldn't wait to get rid of her tomorrow, maybe she had no right to come disrupt her life.

Alex sighed. "Stop thinking," she mumbled. "I'm exhausted just looking at you frowning, kid."

Before Charlotte could open her mouth to apologize, the elevator came to a stop with a distinct jolt and the doors opened. Alex walked out and she followed close behind, wishing she could be as calm and collected as Alex.

The young girl had seen beautiful and luxurious houses in her life but never in her dreams had she imagined her sister would own one. Now that she thought of it, she noticed she had never thought about what kind of house her sister would have. When she thought of her she mostly wondered about what it would feel like to be hugged by her, she thought about their first time meeting and about the things she would want to say. It had turned out to be pointless to spend so much time fantasizing about it. In the end it had turned out nothing like she had imagined. Alex hadn't recognized her, they hadn't hugged and Charlotte had not been as spunky and as confident as she'd dreamed. Reality had a special way of ruining dreams. She only hoped it wouldn't ruin her chance at having a real family with Alex.

"You may sit, you know?" Alex broke the silence.

The girl smiled awkwardly, rubbing the olive skin of her left arm before slowly moving towards the black leather couch. She sat stiffly and focused her attention on the first thing she landed her eyes on. Alex probably thought she had never seen a plastic lighter in her life as she was analyzing it in such detail.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Alex offered. "Water, juice… tea?"

Charlie shook her head. "No thanks." The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself by spilling a beverage all over what looked like a very expensive couch.

"If you're legal to drink, there's an assortment of alcohol if that's more your thing," Alex added as an afterthought.

Charlotte shook her head again and Alex stared intently at her. Now that her intention was lengths away from luring Charlie into recruitment, she allowed herself to see the shorter girl did in fact look quite young. She had probably used a fake ID to get into the bar.

Pursing her red lips Alex sighed. "How old are you, kid?"

"Nineteen," she said quickly.

A bit too quickly.

Alex tilted her head only slightly and raised her eyebrow as she lit up a cigarette and gently sucked the smoke into her mouth. She looked at the tense girl on her couch as she inhaled the smoke. "How old are you really?" she asked bluntly, repeating her motions with the cigarette.

Charlotte's eyes widened and she rubbed her sweaty palms on her black pants. "Seventeen," she admitted, slouching in defeat.

Alex didn't say anything. She exhaled and sat on the edge of the L shaped couch, stretching forward towards the table to stub out her barely used cigarette. She twirled her fingers on the ashtray for a moment longer than necessary as she reviewed in her mind what steps she should take next. The seventeen year old flinched slightly as Alex inhaled loudly and sat back in a swift movement.

"Should we call your mom? Does she know you're here, what you're doing?" Alex asked gently. "What's the rule with the parents these days?" she joked, chuckling.

Charlie shrugged. "No. It's okay."

"Did you tell her you were coming to see me?" Alex pressed. She knew Diane would have started a storm had she pulled a similar stunt without her knowledge, and she didn't want to deal with an angry parent. Even if it was her sister's angry parent.

"Yeah."

Alex wasn't quite convinced but let the subject drop. "So… did Lee tell you about me, then?"

Charlie nodded.

"My father," the teen started. "Uhm, our father," she added quickly, correcting herself with a frown.

Alex scrunched her nose and winced at the way the words sounded. "Your father," Alex said above a chuckle, as she shook her head. That was a hot potato she was all too glad to throw.

Charlie grinned. "Well, Lee," she corrected herself again, making Alex snort. "Yeah, the guy relinquished his rights a couple of months after I was born. I was too much work I guess." Alex cringed. "I looked him up when I was fourteen and went to see him."

Alex smiled sympathetically, feeling her heart clenching at the pain she saw in Charlotte's eyes. Alex was all too familiar with it.

The younger brunette shrugged and looked at Alex tentatively. "He was so wasted…" she whispered. "He just stuffed my pocket with a few dollar bills and told me to _piss off_." She shuddered at the memory and found it increasingly hard to look at her sister's face, afraid that at any point she would read the same message on Alex's face. "On my way out he complained about how I was just like my sister, wasting his time, trying to get his money and domesticate him."

Their eyes met again and Charlotte noticed Alex clenching her fists, but the older woman remained silent so she looked back down, watching her own fingers drawing small patterns on the couch. "I had no idea what he was talking about. I thought he was talking nonsense because he was piss drunk, but he kept rambling and I just stood there listening, trying to understand." Charlie smoothed the leather with her hand, finally realizing what she was doing. Afraid her nervous antics would end up making a hole on the couch she hid her hands under her thighs in the hopes that if she sat on them they would remain still. "He yelled at me. _"Don't pretend you don't know!"_ " Charlotte mimicked in a lower tone. _"I bet you and Alex had this shit all planned out."_

"Fucking imbecile," Alex spat. "I'm sorry kid," she said in a gentler tone, moving herself an inch closer to the young girl, as if her moving closer would fix the hole Lee had ripped open.

"So I had to go back," Charlie kept telling, too deep in her memory and unaware of Alex's closer proximity. "I got in a lot of trouble, I think I spent nearly a year grounded after that."

"You sure you don't want to call home?" Alex worried, pulling her sister from her thoughts.

The teen tensed, but relaxed instantly at the realization Alex was now sitting closer. She could probably reach her if she stretched her arm. It brought her some comfort for some reason. "I tried looking for you," she started, ignoring Alex's question. The older woman wasn't even sure she had listened. "But there was nothing, nowhere about an Alex Burley."

"I got my mother's name, thankfully," Alex explained.

Charlie nodded. "But I didn't know that. There was no way I could have known that." Her voice strained in frustration.

"How did you end up finding me?" Alex asked, both curious and in an attempt of helping Charlotte focus.

The mischievous grin on Charlie's face had Alex instantly smirking.

"Long story short, I had a really geeky friend I used to spend a lot of time with and he taught me some code." Alex chuckled, knowing plenty well where the story was going."

"Who the fuck did you hack, kid? Do I have to worry about the FBI barging in here?" Alex joked. "It wouldn't really help my case, kid," she mumbled only half joking this time. She absolutely did not fancy any kind of involvement with the FBI.

Charlotte shook her head, still grinning. "I learned the basics and then I sort of expanded my knowledge. Kind of spent my whole time lurking on the underground web. I met really good hackers who taught me the art and kept me regularly challenged. I got really good at it," she boasted.

"How good are we talking about here?" Alex eyed her suspiciously.

Charlie chuckled. "I really wanted to find you, so there was a lot of motivation."

Albeit worried, Alex couldn't avoid a smile and the warm feeling on her chest. This girl had obviously put up a lot of effort in order to find her.

"I looked at Lee's records and one day I just happened to come across a newspaper story with a rumor of him dating this girl from Jersey, Diane Vause."

Alex nodded. She was familiar with the article.

"I almost dismissed it. The guy had had his fame and rumors were common. I was sure I wasn't going to find anything relevant." Charlie sighed. "I decided to look the woman up anyway. As a last attempt, you know? So I pulled up her records," Charlotte admitted, scrunching her face. She was afraid Alex was going to be mad.

Sensing her fear, Alex smiled softly. She knew Charlotte was not ill intentioned, she had been a desperate and curious kid. Had Alex had the knowledge and been in the same situation, she would have done the same.

"You saw my birth record then?" Alex guessed.

Charlie relaxed and nodded. "He's not listed on your certificate but I kind put two and two together. You had to be the same Alex he had talked about."

The older woman pursed her lips. "You're right."

"So I guess that brings me here."

Alex nodded. "So what do you plan on doing now?"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. "I guess I'm going back tomorrow," she said unsure. She had no idea what her plan actually was, but she didn't want Alex to feel trapped by her.

"Where did you come from anyway?" Alex asked a bit more bluntly than she had intended.

"Connecticut."

"So that's it?" Alex asked with suspicion. "You traveled what? Three hours just to see me and leave again?"

Charlie nodded slowly. "I wanted to see who you were. I mean, for real, not just the picture."

Alex leaned back and sighed. "That's bullshit, kid, and you know it." Charlie pursed her lips. "You're forgetting I've stood where you're now standing and I know it's more than simple curiosity. So why are you really here?" She prodded gently.

"I guess I… I was hoping I could get to know you," Charlotte offered. Alex nodded, partially distracted by the girl's Vans-clad feet tapping anxiously on the floor. When her feet stopped abruptly, Alex focused her eyes on the girl, somehow knowing there was something more meaningful coming. "And. And I guess I…" Charlie hesitated. "I guess I wanted you to like me and kind of want me back."

It was Alex's turn to shift with apprehension. "I don't have anything much to offer you, kid. My life is not family friendly."

"I know."

Alex raised her eyebrow in surprise.

"I don't know exactly what is it, but I know you're involved in something sketchy." Alex inhaled deeply and stared in confusion. "Your massive travel records to remote places and the fact you're technically unemployed, the cars you own and this house…" Charlie explained looking and pointing all around her. "And the way you were acting tonight," she added, her eyes finally falling on a still calm and still unreadable Alex. "I'm not stupid."

Alex smiled and Charlie detected a hint of smugness. "I work for an international drug cartel."

The young brunette frowned and shook her head, arms lifting in defense. "I don't wanna know. It's not my business… I just really wanted you to maybe… one day, maybe, be my sister."

Alex softened instantly. "I didn't say no to that, kid. I'm telling you though that my life is hectic." She didn't want her sister to create false expectations because she more than likely wouldn't be able to live up to them. "It's not going to be this thing where we text every day, have pajama parties via Skype and share all our secrets through long phone calls. And we sure as hell are not discussing boys."

Charlie scoffed. "Do you think I'm a fucking ten year old?"

Alex grinned at the feistiness. "I think you're a highly intelligent and motivated person, and I'm glad you sought me out."

"You are?" the girl blurted out, making Alex chuckle at the astonishment on her face.

"Yeah kid," she said simply, shrugging as if the words weren't a big deal. "You knew what you wanted and you put up a fight for it… for me. That's something to be proud of."

They shared a smile and a comfortable silence filled the room as they both fell into deep thought.

As it was becoming a habit, Alex was the first to break it. "I should show you to the guest room. It's been a long day and I need to process all this," she admitted. "You probably do too." Charlie nodded, inching forward, ready to stand up after Alex. "We'll call your mom tomorrow." Just like that, Alex got up and Charlie slouched feeling gravity forcing her down. Alex turned to look at her sister, sighing at the concern bubbling inside the teen. "Come on," Alex called. Charlotte could only nod. She wanted to get up, but she just couldn't get her limbs to obey. With another sigh, Alex sat next to her, thighs practically touching. She wasn't used to the whole comforting thing so she didn't know whether to touch her or not. "It's going to be okay, I'll talk to her, let her know you're safe and I'll drop you home myself." Charlie's lips trembled. "Or you can stay a couple more days and then I'll drop you off just the same," Alex rectified, not wanting in the slightest to have the kid leaving her doused in rejection. "I promise I'll make sure you're not grounded this time, okay?" There wasn't much that Alex missed when it came to reading people so she was absolutely certain Charlotte was scared. But Alex just wasn't infallible nor could she guess the reasons behind emotions. Guessing wasn't her common practice anyway. It caused mistakes, which she absolutely despised. So this one time Alex would take the wild guess her sister's fear was based off the idea of facing a punishment, Alex would come to find out just how mistaken she was.

"Okay," Charlie let out hoarsely with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N./ Thank you to everyone who has been reading, reviewing, following and favoriting! You rock! Unfortunately I can't reply to guest reviews, but to those who have mentioned it, I just want to let you know that Piper will make an appearance on the next chapter!**

* * *

"Jesus, kid," Alex was astonished, watching her sister grabbing another bread. "When was the last time you ate?" she asked, daring to inspect the girl's bony wrists. She had barely touched her own breakfast, too focused on her sister's ravenous hunger.

Charlotte shrugged and carefully retracted her hand from the bread basket. She slowed down her chewing and swallowed the piece of bread she still had in her mouth, suddenly extremely aware of Alex's eyes on her.

The older brunette sighed. "You can eat that," she told her sister, pointing to the bread the younger girl had wanted to grab.

"I'm good, thanks," the teen said.

"You sure?" Alex insisted. "I didn't mean you couldn't eat it, I guess I'm just surprised you can be this hungry in the morning." When Charlotte still shook her head Alex got up to clean up the table. Every now and again she would glance at the younger girl and try to put the pieces of the puzzle together, but something wasn't adding up. "Do you want to borrow some of my clothes?" Alex asked nonchalantly, as she noticed her sister trying to remove a dirt crust from the sleeve of her worn out hoodie.

"It's okay." Charlotte smiled nervously, hiding her arms under the table and watching Alex disappear through the door. She looked down self-consciously and grimaced at the mud stains on her black pants from when a car had splashed her as she walked by the side of a road.

"Here."

The teen lifted her head up as Alex shoved a pile of clothes in front of her. Charlotte blushed and looked at Alex to thank her, but her sister had already turned her back, busying herself with the dishwasher.

Alex desperately wanted to find a way to get the answers she still had bubbling in her mind, and was somewhat relieved when she heard the young girl leaving the kitchen. When she looked over her shoulder and noticed the pile of clothes was gone, she assumed the young girl was going to change. She took the deep breath she had been craving and exhaled slowly, allowing herself to worry. It just didn't sit right with Alex that a seventeen year old would appear on her doorstep to visit, with nothing on her except the clothes she had on her body. Alex drifted back to the first impression she'd had of her. Charlotte looked exactly like the kind of young mule she would recruit: lost, desperate, lonely and gullible. She had known it would be easy to lure her in if she just paid the minimal amount of attention to her, so now Alex itched to know what her sister's story could possibly be.

The coffee machine beeped and Alex poured herself another mug of the liquid she was so hooked to. Taking a sip, she turned around just in time to see Charlotte walking in, wearing her clothes.

Alex chuckled. "Those are a little big on you, huh?" she said, noticing how the teen had had to roll the jeans as not to step all over the excess fabric.

Charlie smiled. "They're fine, thanks," she said running her hands over the oversized blue sweater. "This one is really soft." She grinned, hugging herself.

"Keep it," Alex blurted out with a smile. A moment passed and Alex's smile faded as she played with the coffee spoon, deep in thought.

"Okay, kid, you know I have to ask," Alex started, frowning at the foreign feeling of needing to justify herself. "What's your mom's number?" she asked, turning around to throw the spoon in the sink. In all honesty, she just needed to not face her sister or she would just let the problem be pushed to the back again.

Charlotte tensed. She had really hoped Alex would let the subject go, or at least that she would have given her more time to bail. It was barely 9 in the morning and she had no way of escaping the determined brunette.

"It's okay, I'll call her," she said, knowing she had no choice. She grabbed her phone from the table and turned to leave the kitchen.

Alex leaned back against the counter, taking a long relaxed sip from her coffee. "Charlie," she called.

The teen stopped in her tracks. "What?"

"Make that call here, if you don't mind." Alex was a drug importer, no one could blame her if she was a suspicious person.

The young girl swallowed her nervousness and nodded. She was all too aware of the fact Alex could read her lies perfectly, and by the way her face reddened and her breathing picked up, Charlotte knew she was doing a terrific job at feeding her sister obvious clues. She mumbled something unintelligible and looked down at the phone on her hand.

Alex watched her sister as she swiped her fingers across the screen a couple of times before finally bringing it up to her face. The girl smiled lamely at her as she took another peaceful sip of coffee and watched her intently. When Charlotte turned her back to her, Alex sighed.

"Mom?" Charlie said. "Hey, uhm... it's me." Charlotte paused for a moment, closing her eyes. "I know. Mom! I know! I'm sorry," she mumbled on the phone, trying to think of something to say to make the call shorter. "I know I shouldn't have left without saying, but I'm with Alex," she said. "She's going to take me home. I know. I said I'm sorry!" She paused for another moment, feeling Alex's stare burning at her skin. "Yeah, okay. Bye."

Alex kept staring as Charlotte took the phone off her face and made a quick spin turn to look at her. "There! Happy now?" Alex followed the teen's hand movement with her eyes and pursed her lips. She placed her coffee mug in the sink, as she pushed herself off the counter with her hips and walked towards the young girl.

Charlotte frowned when Alex stretched her hand. "What?"

"Let me see your phone."

"What? Why?" She protested.

Alex didn't bother replying. The look on her face was enough for Charlotte to hand her the phone. The older brunette swiped her fingers, not bothering to hide she was checking the call history. The last call had been made the day before, hours before they'd met. Alex crossed her arms and shook her head. "The next time you try to make a fake call you may want to make sure the backlight is not on when you place the phone on your ear. It's very obvious you're not making a call when I can see the menu," Alex stated.

Charlotte sighed, looking down. There was no way she was going to say anything.

"What I don't understand is why you faked a call. I told you, I will speak to your mom and explain it to her so she doesn't go too hard on you."

Charlotte clenched her jaw. "I'm sorry," she finally said.

"Kid, an I'm sorry is not going to cut it. We don't know each other, I don't know your reasons and for that I'm not mad at you, but I'll have you know I hate getting lied to and I hope this doesn't become a habit," she told the teen in a serious tone. "And Charlotte," she paused, giving the phone back to the reluctant brunette. "I want the truth. Now," she demanded.

"I thought you weren't counting on us spilling our secrets to each other," Charlotte spat out of frustration.

Alex clenched her jaw and ran a hand through her hair. She turned around, and back again to face her sister in a movement that was solid, fast and screamed exasperation. "This, right here, is not about spilling secrets. It's about the fact I have a kid in my house that I know next to nothing about," she said, raising her voice. "As far as I know, and I'm really starting to believe it's a huge possibility, you may be a runaway kid." She was angry now. She had never had patience to deal with teenagers when she had been one so now that she was having to deal with a teenager that happened to be her sister, Alex was really trying to be understanding and supportive, but her patience was wearing thin.

Charlotte didn't have any good arguments and she knew she wasn't being fair, but she couldn't help but let her defenses come up. All she wanted was to find a way to shut Alex up. She needed to make her escape. "Why do you even care?"

Alex laughed, throwing her hands up and the teen could tell how furious her sister was by the way the edges of her eyes hardened and her whole body tightened. "Are you sure those are the words you want to go with?" The lanky girl remained quiet. "You come here wanting me to care, right?" Alex squinted, turning her head slightly as if waiting for an answer she knew wasn't coming. "No, just to get this right," she continued sarcastically. "You want me to care and then when I try to do that, do the right thing you push me off. Can you see how fucking mental that is?"

Charlotte could feel herself shrinking. She knew Alex was right. "It's not like that," she let out in a throaty whisper, quivering at the look Alex was giving her.

"What is it like then?" Alex asked in annoyance. It wasn't even possible to will herself to calm down at this point. "You want me to partially care? On your terms?" Alex scoffed. "Whatever kid." She raised her hand in dismissal, shaking her head. She was not cut out to deal with family drama. She had made a very poor decision by allowing the girl to stay the night. Who knew what sort of trouble she could get into because of this kid?

Charlotte brushed past Alex, head bent down.

"Where are you going?" the taller brunette asked automatically.

"Home."

Alex was again at a loss as to what to do next. Part of her just wanted to rid herself of this problem and let the kid go, but another part, a smaller part, wanted to make sure the girl wasn't going to run away and into potential danger. Alex told herself she didn't want the police knocking on her door because of a missing minor. She needed to make sure Charlotte was delivered home safely. If she allowed her to leave and anything happened, it would be on her. She would be the last person to have been seen with her.

Alex groaned. "Then I'm taking you home," she said reluctantly. "Wherever that even is," she added bitterly.

Charlotte tensed. She had hoped Alex would be angry enough to let her leave. "I'm going on my own Alex!"

"Kid you can't just drop on my doorstep and expect me to let you walk back on your own." Her voice was considerably lower now. She was tired and much unmotivated to drive close to three hours in a tension filled car. "What's the fucking deal with your mother?" She asked out loud even though she wasn't expecting any answer. It was bothering her that she couldn't find a reasonable explanation for such a difficult behavior. To say it was pissing Alex off was to put it very mildly.

"There's no deal, just leave me the fuck alone," Charlotte screamed in Alex's face before scurrying away like a scared, offended Chihuahua. It would have been hilarious if Alex had been in the right mindset to find it amusing.

Alex was having none of that, however, and took a large step forward to grab Charlotte's wrist. "If you wanted to be left alone maybe you should have thought of that before you found me." Her tone was dangerous and her green eyes were defiantly stalking brown ones. She had reached her limit. She was going to get this kid in the Range Rover and drive her home so Alex could go back to her cherished lonely, no strings attached, life.

"You know what?" Charlotte spat. "I wish I hadn't!" she screamed.

Alex loosened her grip on the teen's wrist and Charlotte immediately contained a sob of regret. Needing Alex to let her go, she held her guilt and threw another punch. "Do you think I want a druggie for a sister? You're a disappointment," she whispered, feeling the bile rising to her mouth and closing her eyes shut, waiting for Alex to hit her.

Charlotte was surprised when Alex let go of her wrist and she opened her eyes slowly.

Alex was unreadable. "Well," she said calmly. "This disappointment of a sister is going to get your ass in the car and drive you to Connecticut whether you like it or not. I may have to go fucking knock on every door but I will find out where you live," Alex said in an even tone. Charlotte knew she had to have stepped on a huge red line. She was sure there was no salvaging this relationship. "You may want to rethink your actions and give me an address," Alex added as she left the kitchen, leaving behind a terrified Charlotte.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm not entirely sure you have been receiving my replies to your reviews. I've been PMing you using mostly the fanfiction app, but I've noticed the PM's I sent via the app don't show up here on the website so I suspect that thing is malfunctioning and you're not receiving anything? I'm really sorry. Please know I love hearing from you and I cherish each and every review, follow and favorite. I'll be sure to stick to replying to your reviews via the website from now on.**

 **Without further ado… I hope you'll enjoy chapter 4!**

* * *

The drive to Connecticut was as awkward as could be. The silence in the car was consuming and every time Charlotte attempted a glance at Alex she felt shame and guilt engulfing her. She wasn't sure how much longer she could endure the stress.

Alex's jaw was clenched and her knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel tightly. It was all she could do to try and keep herself grounded. She knew if Charlotte even opened her mouth to say anything else to her she would completely lose it.

The older brunette sighed for the millionth time, trying her best to ignore her racing thoughts, the dozens of questions she had, and the twinge of hurt burning her throat. All she needed to do was to bring the kid back to wherever the hell she belonged, so she could be on her way back home, worry free, as quickly as possible. Thanks to a tank full of gas and absolutely no desire from either sister to take the recommended hourly break to stretch the legs, Alex was managing to shave off their travel time considerably.

They'd been driving for nearly two hours in uncomfortable silence when Alex was distracted from her dwelling by a sharp noise. She held her breath, trying to focus on her surroundings and see if she could hear it again, but she was only met by the awkward silence. Minutes later, as she drove down I-95 and the big blue sign announcing "Connecticut Welcomes You" appeared on their line of sight, Alex heard it again.

"I'm sorry," Charlotte sobbed, not being able to hide her guilt anymore. "I'm sorry," she coughed, not even caring to wipe the tears blurring her eyes.

Alex's heart clenched as she glanced to her right. She stepped lightly on the brake, decelerating the SUV to give the teenager a little more time to grasp the fact she was indeed taking her back home. Alex kept driving without saying a word, but she was painfully aware of her sister's nervous antics. The more she drove, the more the younger girl shifted in her seat and tugged at her sleeve, and the more Alex glanced at her, the more she noticed the girl's grimace intensifying. With yet another sigh Alex decelerated the black Evoque and carefully pulled up on the side of the road, quickly checking her rear view mirror and turning the hazard lights on, to make them more visible. Even though it was very early in the day, the last thing she needed was to get hit by another vehicle.

Alex stared at the steering wheel for a minute before turning on her seat, her right leg bending and resting on the seat as her back pushed against the locked door. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it allowed her to face her sister.

"Why'd you stop?" Charlotte whispered, biting her lower lip.

Alex's throat was as dry as her mood. "I think you're ready to talk."

"I didn't mean it," the young brunette confessed. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, afraid to catch any glimpse of Alex. "I don't care about your job, you're not a disappointment," she said, trembling. Charlotte cleared her throat, trying to make it work better but her voice still hitched. "I don't care about anything except you're my sister and you're all I could ever want." Even though she had her eyes closed, she knew Alex was watching her carefully. She wished she knew how mad she had made Alex, but she didn't have the courage to ask. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

For Alex it wasn't a matter of an apology, so she wasn't even going to acknowledge it. Yes she was mad and hurt, but she wasn't so dense she couldn't see there was more to the situation than Charlotte was willing to share.

"Why did you fake the call?" Her tone wasn't even demanding this time, there was no harshness to it, but Charlotte still felt the sting.

The young brunette sucked in a shaky breath, turning her head to look through the window. "I don't wanna go back."

Alex shouldn't have been surprised at all. She had never gotten the impression Charlotte was happy with her situation, whatever it was. But hearing the words still rattled her, and a sense of uneasiness rose again. "Why's that?"

When the teen shrugged, Alex lifted her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers, shaking her head. "You're going to have to give me more than that, kid," she exhaled. "Is everything okay... at home?" she asked cautiously, wincing internally. She really didn't need the added trouble, but she couldn't go on with her life without asking. In her mind it was like a marching band kept parading it to her that she had a sister, that **she** was a sister. The older sister. She had to be accountable for this person, at least for the moment. Until she could return her and move on.

The question seemed to spark something in Charlotte as the younger brunette finally whipped her head to look at Alex. "Can't you just..." She didn't know what she wanted to ask. She didn't even have the words to voice what she felt. It was a mix of so many things she didn't even know anymore what it was exactly. Fear was just the very tip of the iceberg. Did she feel paranoid, lonely, hopeless... threatened? She knew she did, but which one weighed her down more Charlotte couldn't tell.

"What?" Alex asked. "Trust that if I open the door right here you'll find your way home?" Alex laughed bitterly, pushing her glasses back down.

Charlotte's eyes dropped from Alex's face, focusing instead on her sister's boot. She shook her head, knowing she hadn't exactly made it easy for Alex to trust her. "Look kid, as much as I enjoy being pulled over by the side of the road, wasting my day away trying to pull any truth from you, I would really appreciate it if you could just give me your address so we can both get out of each other's hair." Alex knew she was the one pushing a line now, but it seemed to be the only way to get anything out of the teen and she was exhausted of the whiplash she was getting. She noticed her sister clenching her jaw and watched her curiously as she leaned forward, reaching for the center console. She sighed in relief as she noticed Charlotte setting up the car's GPS.

"There."

Her sister's tone was somber, but Alex didn't even bother anymore. At this point she was just glad she had an address to go to. Pushing her leg down, she sat straight on her seat. "Guess we're going to Fairfield then."

Charlotte deflated at Alex's notorious joy and eagerness to get rid of her. "I guess."

#####

"Are you sure this is the address?" Alex asked, driving down Midlock Road and taking in all the multi-million dollar looking houses, with huge, impeccably maintained gardens and trees.

"Yeah." Charlotte bit her lip. "Look!" she pointed to the last house before the road opened up to a round cul-de-sac. "That's the house."

"You live there?" Alex asked again, skeptically. When Charlotte didn't say anything, noticeably pretending she didn't hear her, and instead leaned more towards the window, feigning a sudden interest in the view, Alex rolled her eyes. "I swear kid, if this is another lie, you and I are going to have a problem."

As soon as Alex parked the car, Charlotte jumped out. Alex, however, took her time, still taking in her surroundings and very much aware of the fact she was walking into her sister's game. But since it was all Charlotte was giving her, she would give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Charlotte, this better be it," Alex muttered, joining her sister on the other side of the road.

Charlotte bit her lip but nodded. Her feet were heavy and dragged on the limestone path. "This is it," she whispered as they both stood staring at the huge wooden door. She took a deep breath and lifted her hand to ring the bell. Maybe she should have called or texted first, but it was too late to dwell on that now. As much as Charlie wished she had had the clarity and the capacity to think about this through, there was no going back. They could already hear the faint sound of footsteps and before they knew it, the door was sliding open.

"Piper!"

Alex watched intently as Charlotte threw her arms around a tall blonde woman. She could tell the blonde was just as surprised to see her sister as she had been the previous day. That wasn't a good sign.

"Charlie?" Piper asked confused, pulling back slightly from the hug but holding on to the girl's arms. She looked from Charlie to Alex and back to the young brunette. "What are you doing here, honey?" The smile on her face was contagious and Alex found herself not wanting to look anywhere else. But the woman's smile fell quickly and Alex noticed her blue eyes darkening with concern and perhaps a hint of protectiveness. "Is everything alright?"

However enticing it was to witness the exchange and, particularly, to take in the beautiful stranger, Piper's surprise finally fully registered and Alex felt her frustration rising. This was not the moment to get herself worked up over a woman. She was here to return Charlotte and apparently she was still nowhere close to that.

"So she doesn't live here?" Alex blurted out. The blonde took her eyes from Charlie's guilty face and focused on the woman standing next to the shorter brunette. Alex caught her confusion and noticed she hadn't even introduced herself. "Sorry," she apologized, extending her hand for Piper to shake. "I'm Alex Vause," she said in a husky tone and looking straight into the blonde's azures.

"Piper Chapman." She shook Alex's hand, letting it linger for a moment more than strictly necessary. She shook her head with a smile, trying to pull herself together and trying to focus on what was going on. Luckily for her she didn't have to put the puzzle together herself, as Alex offered her a key piece of information.

"I'm sorry about this," Alex apologized. "We'll be out of your hair in a second. This one told me she lived here, but obviously that's another lie." Charlotte didn't miss the scolding tone and she looked at Piper apologetically.

Piper glared at Charlie, but it was clear by the knowing smile on her face that she wasn't really mad at her. Alex wondered how often something like this had happened. "No, it's okay. Come on in," Piper offered, opening the door more and stepping aside to let the two brunettes in. She pointed Alex the direction to her living room and let her walk in front of her as she grabbed Charlotte's arm. She pulled the teen discreetly towards her and placed her arm around the girl's waist as they walked slowly behind Alex. "So Alex..." Piper whispered. "As in your sister Alex?" she asked even though she already knew the answer.

Charlotte nodded slowly before stopping and turning more towards Piper. "I'm sorry I came here Pip," she let out with a pained shudder, her gaze cast down.

Piper sighed, pulling the younger girl into a hug. "You ran away again?" she prompted softly.

Charlotte nodded.

"You can't keep doing that, sweetheart." Her tone wasn't disapproving. Piper knew that wasn't going to help any. She had made that mistake once and learned from it. Still, Piper worried.

"I will keep doing it," Charlotte said quickly, pulling away.

Piper sighed. She knew that too. "Do you still have the phone I gave you?" When Charlotte nodded she took a deep, relieved breath. Over the years she had provided Charlotte with phones to make sure the young girl could always reach her if she found herself in a sticky situation. It had already been useful once or twice.

"I'm sorry I didn't call first, but-"

Piper shook her head, squeezing Charlotte's arm. "I don't care sweetie. You can always drop by at any time, you know that, right?"

Charlotte shrugged, but ended up nodding reluctantly. "Yeah. Thank you, Pip."

The blonde smiled. "Did you tell your sister?" she asked softly.

"No!" Charlotte shook her head briskly. "No," she repeated in a lower tone, looking down the hall to make sure Alex wasn't looking. She relaxed when she noticed her sister was already out of sight.

"Don't you think maybe you should?" Piper pried. She knew it made Charlotte uncomfortable to think about it, but she felt obliged to make her do it. Charlotte's situation was in desperate need of a solution and unfortunately it wasn't going to happen without intervention.

"Alex doesn't really care," she said dejectedly.

Piper frowned. "How do you know that?" She didn't know the woman but if Alex was willing to escort Charlotte to her supposed home, there had to be a part of the woman that wanted to make sure she was safe and cared for.

"All she wanted was to call my mom you know? Get rid of me."

Piper looked at her knowingly. Over the years Piper had grown privy of Charlotte's insecurities and her oversensitivity to rejection, even when it wasn't there, so she knew to always take it with a grain of salt. "Did you think maybe she was worried and wanted to make sure everything was okay?"

She shrugged. "Can't you just tell her I live here?"

"I'm not going to lie to your sister, honey."

Charlotte frowned, looking at Piper with her best puppy eyes. "But..."

Piper shook her head. "No buts Charlie," she denied. "Talk to your sister. If there's anyone who can help you right now, it's her."


	5. Chapter 5

Charlotte knew Piper was right. She should sit for a serious talk with Alex but, now that she had finally found her, the idea of laying herself bare before her sister made her feel so small she could feel her organs cramping inside her, threatening to come flying through her mouth and splatter all over the pristine white walls of Piper's entrance hall.

Charlotte admired Alex. Even when she had had nothing but a name, she had found herself idolizing her, consistently fantasizing about that exceptional stranger. Thinking about her sister had become an escape to her abhorrent reality. When she saw ugliness, when she found herself thinking about how her life was pointless, when she was told she was worth nothing, that she was just another disposable thing, laying around, forgotten, and that she should put herself out of her own misery, in those moments, she closed her eyes tightly and thought of Alex. Charlotte couldn't help but bring this person to life in her mind and so, when she finally came across Alex's picture, she would spend hours staring at it, as if that crumpled piece of paper, that she kept safely tucked in her sock, held the meaning of life and would reveal everything about the person it depicted. She refined Alex's character, built her sister to perfection and always, always assumed the wondrous brunette would want her in her life as much as she did.

Now, standing in Piper's house, knowing she had taken an irreversible turn, Charlotte was finally coming down from her high. She was realizing the person in her imagination was just that: a figment of her imagination. Alex was her own person and she couldn't expect her sister to act according to her fictional world's standards. The more Charlie came down from her high, the more her fears prickled and the more she became aware of the fact she couldn't keep pushing them away, to the back of her mind. She was slowly starting to rip all those pages of fabulous expectations and finally allowing small streams of reality to penetrate the hard-covered book, dismantling the story. Charlie was realizing she had crashed Alex's life. While she tried to find her sister, she had had the time to process and to figure what she wanted to do, whereas Alex hadn't been given a choice. She had been caught by surprise and was being forced to navigate this situation the best she could, without any kind of preparation. Her chest warmed at the notion her older sister had reacted well to her, but at the same time she worried about the huge probability of Alex, with her life all figured out, not wanting anything to do with her. As much as she hoped otherwise, Charlotte had to prepare herself for another disappointment while simultaneously willing herself to understand her needs wouldn't matter any more than Alex's. While she needed Alex, it didn't necessarily mean the inverse was true and that she was welcome to hang around. Charlotte had to tell herself it wasn't Alex's fault that she was in this situation, nor was it her obligation to fix it for her.

"Don't be scared," Piper said quietly, holding the teen's face between her hands with as much tenderness as her tone of voice revealed. "Sweetie, you need to give your sister a chance and in the end, if she really can't do anything for you, then maybe you're not missing out on much." Piper paused, waiting for the youngster to lock eyes with her. "I think it's all going to be fine. Give Alex a chance, let her think things through and, if nothing comes out of this, you know my offer still stands, right?" Charlotte sighed but finally nodded. Piper smiled at her, dropping a kiss on her nose. "Go on," the blonde finally said, smiling knowingly as she flicked her head towards the stairs. "Take a moment for yourself, I'll ease her into it, okay?"

Charlotte smiled, taking a deep breath. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

#####

Piper walked quietly and paused by the door, leaning against the frame, as she took in the sight of the tall brunette. She hoped she hadn't been wrong when earlier she had identified a hint of protectiveness gleaming in her eyes. With another deep breath she spoke, softly as not to startle the fascinating stranger, "Charlie just needs a moment. She went up to her bedroom for a second but she'll be back soon."

Alex had been inspecting the pictures on the console table behind the couch, but upon hearing the blonde she turned to face her. Their eyes met and locked in a deciphering battle. "I hope you don't think it's wise to play this thing by Charlotte's rules because it's too late to convince me she lives here," Alex warned.

"She doesn't live here," the blonde replied, unfazed. It was a matter of fact. "Would you like anything to drink? I have freshly squeezed lemonade," Piper offered. "The lemons are organic."

Alex raised her brows and smirked. Did she seriously look like someone who cared about organic lemons? Lemons are lemons, whether you sprinkle the soil with chemicals or panda poo. "Didn't you just say Charlotte went up to her bedroom?" She asked, not nearly as interested in the beverage offer as she was in figuring out the mess she had found herself in.

Piper crossed her arms, bothered. "Since when does that mean she has to live here?" she questioned, frowning.

"Are you related to her then?" Maybe the striking blonde was Charlotte's cousin or something. Alex sighed, slightly disappointed at the idea, and briefly wondered how improper it would be for her to fuck her sister's hot cousin.

"I'm her friend!" Piper clarified, her voice hitching with outrage.

Alex blinked. "I don't get the pimp vibe from you so at least that's something," she pointed out.

Piper's eyes widened in displeasure and she automatically straightened her back, taking a couple of steps forward. It wasn't a good time to be territorial, but she didn't like how this woman stripped her off her composure so easily. "Well, Alex, not everyone needs to have second intentions to have a friend."

"That may be true." Alex nodded, lining up her next words in her mind. "But aren't you a little too old to befriend a seventeen year old, give her a room at your little mansion, and all that? It kind of verges on creepy if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you," Piper fired back, indignant. "And what exactly are you implying?"

Alex was immediately pleased at the response. "Why so defensive? Do you have anything to hide?" She pushed. In all seriousness, Alex had already cleared her concerns regarding Piper taking advantage of her sister. She didn't know what the deal with the two of them was, but she knew Piper was not ill intentioned. Still, Alex couldn't help but find it amusing the way the blonde tried so hard to remain proper despite her jabs, so she took it a little bit further. "A pretty girl like yourself could easily lure a kid like Charlotte…"

"What?!"

"Maybe you're a bored little housewife, tired of her boyfriend… Are you sure you're not taking advantage of a desperate kid? You know… to satisfy some needs properly. You do seem like you need it. You're a bit uptight."

Piper's mouth fell open and it took her a second to get her thoughts together. The fact Alex had the nerve to be smirking just made it worse and the blonde could feel her temper rising. "You are out of mind if you think I would ever… and you're so, so out of line right now…. Do you seriously think-"

"Relax kid." Alex chuckled and Piper's mouth clamped shut. "You're too goody two-shoes to lay a finger on my sister. I just needed to make sure."

"Well, it was so rude!" she protested, fighting the urge to stomp her foot.

Alex shrugged in dismissal as she sat on the couch. "It was effective. You're easy to read, kid."

Piper didn't say anything, but she refused to let Alex see how uncomfortable she had made her. She pulled herself together and calmly circled the couch to sit on the armchair, perpendicular to Alex.

"You two seem close," Alex said softly, surprising Piper.

Just like that, with a docile whisper Piper hadn't imagined the provocative brunette could deliver, the anger, that only a moment ago she had been fighting to keep at bay, left her body. Blue eyes lit up and a sense of wonder settled somewhere within her.

"We are close," Piper confirmed.

Alex nodded. She hated to pry but this situation was nothing like something she was used to. She assessed Piper for a moment before finally speaking again. "So there's something I still don't understand," she started. "How did you two meet?"

Piper shifted uncomfortably on her seat and inched forward a little. "Through a volunteering project," she said cautiously. "Helping homeless kids."

Alex nodded, interested, while Piper held her breath, waiting.

Piper could pinpoint the exact moment when Alex finally processed her words and understood their implication. She noticed green eyes darkening and sparkling with vulnerability and concern. "What do you mean?" Alex laughed, but Piper knew there was no amusement in there. The sound was drenched with the nervousness of someone who knew they were close to a truth they wouldn't necessarily like. "Was Charlotte a volunteer too?" It would be so much easier to accept that. Piper knew the brunette would hold on to that last thread until it eventually, mercilessly, snapped.

Piper took a deep breath. It wasn't her story to tell. "Alex I think you just need to talk to her."

"You think I haven't tried?" the brunette raised her voice and her hand in exasperation. If only she could wipe the horrible thoughts on her mind... But no matter how many times her palm rubbed at her head, they persisted. Her hand fell on her thigh with a loud smack and she once again trained her eyes on Piper. "She won't tell me anything!"

Alex was desperate for something.

"Just give her time," Piper offered kindly. "You know… Charlie… she's not used to having people around. People who care. Be patient with her."

Alex pondered Piper's words and took a deep breath, calming herself. "I have no idea what I'm doing here," she confessed.

"But that's not the important part is it?" Piper questioned. "You're here and you're trying." She explained.

Alex nodded. "I'm not even entirely sure what I'm walking into here. I mean, I can imagine. I don't want to believe it but I can imagine, but this kid… she seems to know how to throw me off balance. I'm no pessimist but I'm starting to think whatever I'm imagining is not going to be bad enough for what is really going on."

Piper winced. "You hardly look like someone who can be easily shaken," she said sympathetically.

Alex chuckled but before she could reply, Charlotte walked in.

For a moment, Alex thought her sister would sit next to her on the couch. It surely was large enough to accommodate them both without them invading each other's personal space. But then, Charlotte walked past the couch and without even blinking she sat on Piper's legs, her hand instantly grasping the blonde's knee and playing with it absentmindedly. The whole scene had unfolded so smoothly it didn't look as odd as Alex thought it should. Instead, it ringed on familiarity and routine and it almost made Alex feel like she was intruding. She probably was. Maybe if she left, the tension in the room would disappear with her. Maybe the can of worms should be left untouched.

Piper caught onto Alex's uncertainty and took a deep breath, placing a comforting hand on the small of the young brunette's back. She smiled softly at Charlie, who was biting her lip, and patted on her leg, letting the teen know she wanted to get up. "I'm gonna leave you two alone to talk," she explained softly, just loud enough for Alex to hear it too. Charlotte looked at the blonde pleadingly and Piper pulled her back into her for a hug. "You're going to be fine," Piper whispered, dropping a small kiss on Charlie's arm.

Alex was looking down, elbows resting on her knees. She didn't want to invade the small moment and, quite honestly, she needed a second to compose herself. It wasn't until she was certain Piper had cleared the room that she looked up.

"I don't want to pressure you kid, but I'm gonna be honest: I have no idea what I'm doing, what's the right thing to say in this situation so please… help me out here and give me something."

The younger brunette squirmed on her seat, pulling nervously at the fabric of the sweater Alex had given her. She closed her eyes, fighting all the instincts preventing her from speaking. "I… I ran away," she stuttered. Alex just took a deep breath and stared, remarkably calm. She wasn't surprised in the slightest and was about to point out that she needed Charlie to state something other than the obvious, when the younger girl opened her mouth to speak.

"From foster care. I… I ran away from foster care."

If Alex wasn't surprised before, she certainly was now. Suddenly she had the weight of the world forcing her shoulders down. The dread was so intense she was sure Piper's fancy couch would rip open under her sudden weight. She moistened her lips and slouched. "What?" She somehow managed to rasp, shaking her and pulling her glasses up.

"Please, please don't take me back!" Charlotte pleaded, eyes threatening to overflow with tears as she watched her dumbfounded sister with extreme caution. "If you do I'll run away again!"

Alex's mouth parted and closed repeatedly, but nothing else came out. She wanted to say something, but had no idea what. There were so many questions swirling in her mind, but how to ask them? It all seemed like such a sore topic and she… she was so under equipped to deal with it. She was the last person that should be put in this position. Alex was absolutely certain now: she was going to screw this kid's life with nothing but her own words.

"Fuck kid… This is…" She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Why? I… You can't live on the streets."

Of all the questions in her mind, of all the clueless, unhelpful statements she could have come up with, by the look of distress on her little sister's face, Alex was sure she had just said the 'wrongest' of all wrong things. " _Fuck._ " She kicked herself, clenching her jaw and rubbing her hands on her face. She _needed_ Diane.

"I'm not going back!" Charlotte said forcefully, getting up hurriedly, afraid Alex was going to somehow grab her from that distance and force her in the car.

Alex laughed nervously and pushed her glasses back down, getting up and turning on her feet so she would be able to face her sister. The teen was slowly backing towards the door. No doubt in Alex's mind, Charlotte would flee if she made a more brusque movement and so she stopped herself, stopped all her movement, hoping her sister would too. One thing she couldn't bring herself to control, however, was the exasperation in her voice. "Then what exactly do you plan on doing?!"

That was it. Alex didn't and would never understand. Charlotte's eyes burned as she stared directly into green, menacing judgment. Her lower lip trembled and, against all her efforts, a lone overdue tear trickled down her face as she gasped for air. "I'll manage!" she cried. Then, as if needing to convince herself of her own reasoning she added, "It's just for a few more months, then I'll be 18 and they won't be able to hold me anymore."

"And then what, kid? You think just because you turn 18 your life sorts itself out? You need a place to live, money to pay the bills, eat… Jesus, Charlotte!"

"You have no idea what it's like!"

"It can't be worse than living on the streets!" Alex ignored her.

Charlotte scoffed. "You'd think that, right? Please, just go and leave me. No one will know I was with you. I promise I won't get you in trouble."

"I'm sorry, kid but I can't let you do that. Your foster parents-"

"They are NOT my parents!"

Alex sighed. "Fine, Charlotte. You're right. They are not, but they are people and they must be worried about you."

Charlotte frowned. "Does it make you feel better if you say that? Because it's a fucking lie! You have no idea what it's like."

"Then tell me!" Alex pleaded gently, aware of the fear flashing through her sister's face.

"Why? So you won't believe me?" Charlie asked accusingly. "You're just like any other person. Pretending evil doesn't exist so you don't have to worry and make it your problem," she spat, anxious. "And why the fuck do you care? It's not like I won't be thrown out anyway. I should be able to choose when and how that happens!"

"Charlotte…"

"No!" Charlotte took a step back. "No! No… I don't… I'm sorry I went to you, okay? I was wrong. I'm so, so sorry I bothered you… just, please, leave me alone," she cried, wheezing.

"Charlie…" Alex called, watching powerless as the younger girl scurried away. "Charlotte! Come on…" Alex called again, louder. "Fuck!" she muttered, kicking the couch forcefully before slumping down, holding her head on her hands.

Alex jumped at the unexpected feeling of a reassuring hand squeezing her shoulder. "Give her some space." She heard Piper's tender tone.

"You seem to know how to handle this a lot better," Alex groaned, lifting her head to reveal red, glossy eyes.

"You kinda just have to listen to her." Piper shrugged, sitting next to Alex, hand still on the brunette's shoulder. "No one ever does so when someone comes along and makes an effort to actually listen to what she has to say, she opens up."

"This is fucked up. I didn't even know she existed yesterday." Alex knew there was no value to her words. It was unlike her to hide behind excuses but, even if for completely different reasons, she could admit she was just as terrified as Charlotte.

"Now you do. What are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean?" Alex frowned. "I'm driving her to where she lives, make sure she's safe and then go home."

Piper retreated her hand from Alex's shoulder and inched away from the brunette, eyeing her in dismay. "Did you not listen to her?"

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"She just told you she's not safe."

"No." Alex shook her head. "No… she didn't," she insisted. Alex shook her head with confidence, but watching Piper pursing her lips and looking away made her question her own memory. "She didn't… did she?" Alex swallowed the lump on her throat, freezing. "Okay," she started again, hoarsely, and with a significantly less confidence. "So there must be rules and she doesn't like them," she tried to reason, hiding behind a shrug.

Piper pursed her lips, finding Alex's eyes. There was so much emotion in them, such intensity and blatant pleading that Alex couldn't bear with it.

"I'm not taking her in," Alex blurted out. "I can't. My life is not kid friendly in the slightest."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it."

"Clearly good looks are not everything," Piper snorted. "I didn't know you were a mind reader as well as an asshole."

"When you're looking at me with Bambi eyes, guilt tripping my conscience, it's not hard to guess what you were thinking." Piper's eyes widened, as she found some amusement in an otherwise agonizing situation. "And before you get any more ideas, let me tell you, taking her in is completely out of the equation."

"For now," Piper dared saying, making Alex grimace.

* * *

 **A.N./ I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much for reading an leaving your feedback. You guys are so awesome! I'm honestly surprised at the amount of interest this story has been getting. I thought for sure you would run away at the sight of a story with an OC! :P**

 **I want to take a chance to apologize for any mistakes. I try to edit and all that but English is not my first language so there's probably lots of annoying stuff that slip through. So sorry about that.**

 **Next chapter is a lot smaller, but is ready. I _maaaaay_ post it today. What can I say, I'm inspired by season 4! (No spoilers, please!)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A.N./ Here you go, 24 hours later, another update! I honestly couldn't resist posting it. Thank you so much for all the love, all the reviews, follows and favorites - they give me more motivation to keep writing! I'm really glad to hear you are enjoying the story as much as I'm having fun writing it. Thank you so much for tuning in! This chapter is a bit smaller but I hope you'll like it!**

* * *

Of one thing Alex was certain: she was going to regret her decision.

There just wasn't an optimal solution. Either she fought for Charlotte, which she really didn't want, or she let her go, to be miserable in a place she hated. Alex was bound to end up in a lame position and wretched whatever her decision was, so she was leaning towards the minimal invasive option - the one that didn't interfere with her life and allowed her to pretend nothing had even happened, if she distracted herself enough not to thing about it.

She grabbed her phone from her jacket and stared at it, contemplating. She didn't know who to call so, with a deep breath, she swiped her finger to unlock the phone and quickly tapped the browser icon. What she was looking for wasn't at all hard to find and with just a couple key strokes she found herself saving the number:

 _Department of Children and Family Hotline - (800) 842-2288_

Having something to rely on sitting on the right pocket of her black leather jacket, resulted in Alex being a lot less on the edge. Her fogginess eased up and her heart slowed to an acceptable rhythm. She was finally able to breathe without feeling like she was drowning her lungs in ice cold water. She had a plan.

Alex felt relieved. She now was in full control of the situation, knowing she could end it at any moment if she desired as much, which she did but, for respect for her sister, she felt compelled to talk to Charlotte about it first.

Getting up, Alex looked at the door. She had finally accepted Piper's fancy lemonade just for the sake of having a moment alone. But the blonde was yet to return and now Alex was itching to go find Charlotte. She circled the couch and stopped in front of the door, giving the blonde a moment to appear. She was considering ditching Piper and pulling off another rude stunt, by taking off in search of Charlotte's room on her own, when Piper came back through the door carrying a tray. Taking a long look at Alex, the blonde walked past her and set the tray on the wooden table, near the couch.

She started pouring some of the juice in a tall glass. "This is really good, I think you're going to like it," Piper said, not as enthusiastic as she was probably trying to sound.

"Right," Alex started, clicking her tongue. "I need to talk to Charlotte."

Piper set the glass down forcefully, making some of its contents spill. Under normal circumstances, she would have freaked out about a possible stain from the acidic juice coming in direct contact with her wooden table but, today, her mind was somewhere else entirely. Piper turned swiftly, as if she had been expecting Alex's words and was deeply offended by them. She walked towards the taller woman, not shying away from giving her her best disapproving Chapman stare."You're going to call the DCF."

It wasn't a question and it completely disarmed Alex. The brunette swallowed her guilt as she defied the blonde's shaming stare. "I have to."

"No, you really don't!" Piper accused. "At least not with that intention, you don't," she added. "Why don't you just say you don't want to be bothered?"

"Look, I appreciate you stepping in to defend her, but you can't expect me to mess my entire life because of a kid."

"Clearly."

Alex sighed. She knew this wasn't going to be easy. "Piper, you know her. You two are close, but between me and her there's absolutely nothing. It's not safe for her to be with me, as much as it isn't safe for me to have her, not to mention I have no idea what to do with her. I don't know the first thing about being responsible for someone else."

"And apparently you're not even willing to try."

"Try to be reasonable!" Alex cried out.

Piper's nostrils flared as she breathed heavily. "Oh, I am reasonable! Very much so. You? You, Alex, are a coward."

Alex frowned, taken aback. "What the hell did you expect me to do? I'm her sister, not her mother."

"You're family, you're blood related. One DNA test to prove it, a couple of interviews and an home study and she could be safe." Piper was angry, speaking fast and shooting venom with every word. She knew she was stepping on a boundary and maybe she should just mind her own business, but for some reason she needed to let Alex have it. "Do you hear me? She could be safe!" Piper repeated, slower, more collected, with a deep worried frown and wide desperate eyes. Then, in a second, she retreated and grew distant with her own musings. "But maybe danger does top the certainty of not being wanted," the blonde whispered. How could she be so disappointed in a complete stranger?

"You know what, Piper?" Alex had had enough. She couldn't be blamed for these circumstances. People couldn't assume she had the responsibility to step forward and put her ass on the line for Charlotte. As much as she was fond of the kid, she couldn't get involved with judges and home studies, she couldn't have people meddling in her life. It would take one careful look and Alex would be shipped off to prison. "You're a fucking hypocrite!" Piper recoiled at the outburst. "You say you two are close and yet you did nothing for her either, except, of course, enabling her hiding! And actually… News Flash, Piper: you're kidnapping her, we both are, but never mind that!" Alex let out sarcastically with a dramatic throw of her arms. "Jeeesus fucking Christ, Piper! You invest in her the bare minimum so YOU don't feel guilty, like she's some sort of charity case you can go on and brag about at your tea parties. You have no right to dump this on me when you have known her for longer and done absolutely nothing to take her out of this situation! You want to force me to play house, right? Why haven't you?" Alex shook her head, snorting viciously at Piper's silence. "Yeah," she scoffed. "I thought so too."

Piper's eyes brimmed with tears instantly. "You are so fucking wrong," Piper whispered, taking another step towards Alex. They were so close Alex could feel the heat radiating from Piper's irate body. Alex shifted uncomfortably at the proximity and blinked heavily as she saw the hurt in the blonde's eyes. She knew right then that her words would backfire and, just like that, guilt closed in on her once more. "She is such an amazing kid, Alex." Piper's words were so delicate and affectionate that Alex was sure even if she hadn't come to that same conclusion herself, if she hadn't even met Charlotte, she would wholeheartedly believe Piper right this instant. "I really thought she would have gotten adopted by now." Their eyes met, mirroring each other's ache and disbelief. "She just kept being bounced around, and every time it happened she was so broken, but at the same time trying so hard to be goofy about it, pretending to be strong and nonchalant. It was heartbreaking witnessing a child, because she was just a child, Alex, believing she wasn't worthy of good things." Alex's jaw clenched and she wished Piper would just shut up. She didn't need to hear this. She couldn't. She couldn't imagine Charlotte in the state Piper was describing to her. Thanks to the blonde, she was sure she was never going to be able to look at her sister the same, which would make what she had to do all the more difficult. "I couldn't even come close to her because she thought I was going to hurt her. And she craved touch, she craved hugs and kisses… she was so loving, so desperate to give love and get love, but you could literally see, you can literally see, the battle to trust." Piper paused, trying to collect herself. "I didn't want her to keep going through that, being bounced around, from bad placement to worse placement, feeling the need to run away to be safe…and so I just asked her if she would let me sign up to foster her." Alex's eyes widened, surprised at the sincere admission. "Do you have any idea what she said to me?" Alex could only shake her head, her breath already caught in her throat and her forehead creasing in anticipation. "She begged me not to," Piper revealed, taking a curt pause to let the words sink in. "Because I was the best thing to have ever happened to her."

"I don't understand…"

Piper shook her head, urging Alex to let her finish. "I'll never forget how bittersweet her words were: 'you're the first person to ever take an interest for me, because of me and not a paycheck'. Those were her literal words," Piper admitted. "From a little girl, Alex," she told the brunette, searching for something in the green of her eyes. "I think you should dwell on them a lot if you still think the best thing for her is to go back."

"Piper…" Alex sighed. "What happened to her, what she has gone through I'm sure was horrible and I wish it had been different, I really do, she's a special kid-" Piper chuckled, breaking Alex's train of thought.

"If your next words are going to be: 'I understand it's shitty, but it's not my fault and I can't do it', please shut up and just… just let me breathe because I know it, Alex, but I also can't help it but feel like what you're about to do is going to ruin both of you. I can't deal with that so just… don't say anything else to me right now."

And Alex didn't because, at the end of the day, she was cornered. She couldn't make the right decision.


	7. Chapter 7

The talk with Charlotte had not gone according to what Alex expected. She had imagined screams and threats but, instead, the younger brunette had remained silent and resigned. The teen's demeanor had just made the one sided conversation much more difficult for Alex. She had found herself pausing often, doubting her each word and trying to muster the courage to continue. Her voice had threatened to fail her more than once and the confidence she liked to boast about had ran scarce. Alex Vause had been reduced to a stuttering, fidgety mess.

If Alex thought the conversation was going to be hard, she most certainly hadn't imagined what watching her sister being taken would do to her. As soon as the police officer and the social worker knocked on Piper's door with a look of displeasure plastered on their faces, Alex found herself regretting the call. She had remained immobile, stuck on the same spot, as the short, gray haired woman forced a big, black trash bag into Charlotte's arms. At first Alex didn't quite understand what the woman expected her sister to do with it, so she just watched intently as the teen sought Piper and leaned back against her, no doubt needing some comfort. The young girl's eyes barely moved up from the shiny wooden floor, but Alex just knew that if their eyes were to meet she would see teary eyes.

The notion that she had caused Charlotte any kind of pain made Alex question her own humanity. Still, she kept trying to push away from her mind the thought that she should be the one behind her sister, trying to ease her pain. Alex fought to ignore the feeling that she really should be the one stroking the teen's arms in soothing patterns and so, Alex just stood there, glued to the spot, watching as the dreadful scene unfolded. She wasn't even going to try and fix the mistake Piper had warned her about.

The blonde was so obviously agonizing over her decision that it didn't help Alex to feel any better. How could she when Piper seemed to care more about someone from Alex's family than Alex herself? The tall, powerful brunette who never regretted a thing and hadn't wanted the complication of a teen storming into her life with the kind of permanence the situation demanded, was now berating herself for all the life choices she'd ever made that prevented her from stepping forward and demanding some other kind of solution for Charlotte.

"Collect your things, we have to go," the gray haired woman complained, looking at her wristwatch. Charlotte was taking too long to move away from Piper and the social worker clearly had better things to do with her day.

Alex grimaced at the harshness of the woman's tone as she now realized what the trash bag was for. It was inhumane to make a kid pack their life in a trash bag. How could they not feel like worthless beings? If Alex had already been struggling with a paralyzing regret she was most unfamiliar with, she was now certain she would never be able to live with herself. It felt like she had a thousand tiny people inside her brain, suddenly acting as a conscience, shaming her for what she'd done.

 _She_ had brought this on Charlotte.

"I don't have any stuff here," her sister mumbled, stretching her arm to return the trash bag but not taking a single step away from the protective blonde.

Alex couldn't help but think Charlotte would be so much better off if she had had the luck of having Piper as a sister instead of her. She would just drag the kid down with her poor decisions. In fact, she was already doing so, by refusing the kid the opportunity to have a family. She hadn't even asked properly how Charlotte had ended up in foster care or how long she'd been there. Maybe because, knowing her decision was still going to have to be the same, she didn't want the knowledge. The information Piper had shared earlier had been enough to make her feel like the shittiest person alive. She had enough guilt gnawing at her insides as it was.

"Perfect!" The social worker was way too chipper for Alex liking, and it baffled her because… wasn't she supposed to be too? Wasn't she supposed to be relieved she was finally going to be able to put this problem behind her back. "Let's get a move on," the woman said, taking a succession of quick, little steps forward, towards Charlotte, and lifting her arm to retrieve the bag.

Alex frowned, aggravated. Everything about the woman annoyed her. From the clicking of irritating, bland and clearly overused heels, to the greyish, cynical smile, Alex was building up a strong dislike for the mismatching woman. It especially bothered Alex that this 'nobody', who felt entitled enough to boss her sister around like just another piece of trash, was trying to steal Charlotte from _her_.

Alex sucked in a deep breath and held it in her chest.

 _From her?_

What right did she even have to even think such thing? From Piper maybe, but not from her.

 _She_ had called the woman. _She_ had caused this. _She_ was not part of a solution, _she_ was adding to her sister's problem.

"Wait!" Piper let out, placing her hand over Charlie's arm, lowering it.

Both the youngster and the old social worker looked quizzically at the blonde, but Piper took her time, placing her hands on Charlotte's shoulders and turning the teen around to face her. "Take some clothes with you," she whispered motioning with her head to the stairs.

"It's okay," Charlotte said, shaking her head. "They'll just get taken away anyway."

"Charlotte," the social worker called for the teen with a strong surge of impatience, which didn't go unnoticed by Alex's close scrutiny.

The anger building up inside Alex was enough to clear some of her daze and she finally turned fully to glare at the small, bitter thing, wanting to shut her up. At least the police officer was just standing in his corner, allowing Charlotte to take her time.

"Charlotte!" the woman insisted, grabbing her wrist in a sudden movement.

"Hey!" Alex yelled, exploding at the sight of a tight, meaty grip on Charlotte's scrawny wrist. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked, putting herself between the social worker and her sister. That seemed to spark the police officer's attention, but he still remained on his corner, only slightly more alert.

"Ma'am please get out of the way."

Alex rolled her eyes at the cringe-worthy nasal voice. "I'll get out of the way when I decide I want to get out of the way."

"You are out of line, ma'am. Please step aside." The woman stared at Alex unimpressed, but seeing as Alex wasn't budging and didn't seem at all fazed by her attempt at intimidating her, she turned her attention to Charlotte, tilting her head to try and get a better view of the teen behind Alex. "Charlotte, come on," the social worker rushed. "You're only making it worse on yourself."

Alex moved her body to block the woman's view completely. "Hey," she called out again. "She is ready when she is ready," the brunette warned. "Last time I checked this was not your house so you better calm your tits and behave."

"Ma'am is that a threat?"

Pushing her glasses up, she went to open her mouth to reply but Piper was quicker to shout. "No!" Alex looked over her shoulder to catch Piper's frantic look. "No, not a threat," the blonde appeased, widening her eyes at Alex, urging the brunette to calm down.

Alex sighed, turning back to face the social worker and leaning forward slightly as if she was about to share a secret. "Take it as a polite reminder of good manners," she muttered.

Without missing a beat Alex reached behind her, for Charlotte, and pulled her sister aside, leaving Piper to face the woman and try to tame her with convincing apologetic glances.

"Kid, I'm sorry."

Charlotte shook her head, resigned. It was not the first time she was caught so this drill was somewhat ingrained by now. "It's okay." She shrugged. "I get it."

Charlie did get it. Life had managed to teach her that she was unwanted and too much trouble. It shouldn't even bother her anymore. People always left. She was just so bad that, no matter how much she tried, people always saw how much of a fuck up she really was. Truth was, sometimes she didn't even know what she did wrong but she was sure there had to be something because all her life people always seemed too eager to ditch her. The only exception had been Piper but, even now, even after all these years, deep down, Charlie was still waiting for the day when Piper would disappear from her life. It could take a while, but Charlotte just knew it would happen eventually. Maybe she had to dump Piper first so maybe it wouldn't hurt as much.

"Look," Alex said, trying to capture her sister's attention. "Here's my number." Charlotte looked down at her hand, at Alex's fingers touching the skin of her palm and she immediately recoiled, as if her sister's fingertips burned. She clasped the piece of paper in her hand and fought the urge to let it slip from her hand. She already had the number memorized anyway. "Call me if you run into trouble," she heard Alex saying.

Charlotte snorted, her eyes glued to the floor. "I won't."

Alex frowned. _Won't she call or won't she run into trouble?_ She had a feeling she knew what Charlotte meant and she couldn't avoid the hurt she felt.

 _She_ had brought it on herself.

The lanky brunette shifted awkwardly. "So, I guess this is it." Alex was silent. "It was… uhm… it was nice seeing you…I guess."

"Kid, I'll be around alright?"

Why did she sound so desperate? What was she doing? She needed to focus on her life. She needed to focus on the obnoxious amount of missed calls she had from Fahri. She needed to get over this crisis and forget it even happened, but why couldn't she? Why couldn't Alex get over Charlotte's poorly concealed heartbreak?

"Okay," the teen replied in true dismissal.

Alex knew her sister didn't believe her.

"Okay," she said, trying to convey a little more commitment. _Fuck._

"Come live with me baby," Alex heard Piper whispering the minute the teen stepped back into the crossfire. The brunette closed her eyes and with a grunt she turned, facing the wall, and let her forehead bump into it. She could feel the beginning of a guilty headache overtaking her. _Piper would be so much better for Charlie._

Charlotte sighed, trying her hardest to ignore Miss Brown's scolding look, and hugged Piper. It felt so comforting to feel the blonde's arms wrapping around her it almost made her sick thinking about the fact one day she too will be gone and there won't be any other soul she will trust enough to hug. "I need you to just be my friend," she whispered against Piper, inhaling the scent of Piper's hair. For some reason it always calmed her. "Please."

Piper pulled back a little. "I'm your friend, whether you live here or not," she reassured, hoping Charlotte would change her mind. She was so ready to reveal that she had already secretly gone through the 10 weeks of mandatory training 4 years ago. Piper was ready for Charlotte to let her help her.

"No. If I live here stuff will change," Charlotte explained, like she had many times before. "Like, weird rules and whatever. Plus, you'll start behaving all mom and that's just going to be freaky."

Piper chuckled, pulling the youngster back into her and resting her chin on her head. "I will not. I'm not even old enough to actually be your mom."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and pushed away from Piper, eyeing her amused. "You're a control freak, Pip." Piper gasped, pretending to be offended. "Stuff will change."

"Change isn't bad, not in this case."

"It is if I'm gonna lose you."

Piper's voiced hitched as she heard something she hadn't before. While she had known it could be a reason, Charlotte had never been vocal about that particular fear. "Who said anything about losing me?"

"You'll get bored, Pip," Charlotte pointed out as if it was obvious. "Listen," she said quickly, not willing to lose control of the conversation. "I appreciate it. It's very kind of you, it really is, but I don't want to." No. Charlotte was all intent on going back to foster care. She would lay low for a couple of days, check on Chloe and Austin while she was at it, and then run away again.

Charlotte had always been a runner.

She remembered being four years old and raising chaos at the hospital when she realized what the gigantic nurse had in store for her. The minute Charlie had spotted the syringe she didn't wait for fate to take her down without a real struggle. Young Charlotte Burley took off running, squirming past the adults chasing after her, sliding under gurneys and hiding behind all sorts of objects. In the end, through wailing and kicking, she had had no alternative but to take the shot, but she remembered still feeling proud of the fact she hadn't made the evil nurse's life easy.

At seven years old she ran away from lunch, at school, for the first time. Lunch was always a struggle. She was always made to eat even though she wasn't hungry and all she wanted was to go to recess and play. There was one teacher who was particularly mean and often sat with her, force feeding her. Sometimes Charlotte would puke and the teacher would make her eat it back up, even if it meant losing play time and arriving late to the classroom. Charlie knew the teacher had it for her and she was fed up so, one day, when the opportunity presented itself the fearless girl didn't hesitate either. She ran away from the disorganized crowd of kids and made it to recess all by herself. Getting in trouble had definitely been worth it. Maybe with her ever increasing experience she could really be a spy when she grew up.

At eight years old she ran away during the night for the first time. She had been so scared that night. The screams and vicious banging and throwing of things against her thin bedroom door, had little Charlie sobbing quietly, against a corner in the room. With the sound of glass smashing and of her own terrified, heavy breathing, Charlotte had made a run for the window. She could still go back to that night as if it had happened yesterday. She remembered holding on tightly to her beloved stuffed elephant - Felix - and climbing out of the window to find shelter behind a tree nearby. She hadn't even cared about how wet and freezing cold the grass had been. She had still dug her toes into the dirt in the hope that no one would be able to lift her off the ground if they tried. That would have been one of the last nights Charlie had spent at the familiar neighborhood. After that, running had just turned into an instinct and Charlotte's preferred way of dealing with all kind of situations. Without her even realizing that same behavior had helped solidifying her label as a problem kid:

"Charlotte is a sweet little girl, although she can be a little shy at first", which really meant she was a quiet and suspicious girl with trust issues. "She is a very smart girl with a love for the outdoors and new adventures," screamed that prospective parents could expect their adorable little girl to disappear on them at any given time. "Charlotte is a sensitive child with a strong personality" or, in other words, a brat who didn't handle strong emotions the best. "She thrives with encouragement and positive feedback that help her feel positive about herself," was just another way of saying Charlie was a high maintenance child with a low self esteem. "Charlotte is anxiously awaiting her forever family. She will benefit from a loving, flexible, patient and strong family who will provide her with a structured and stable, age appropriate environment." If her case worker could, she would have just said that Charlotte was an untamable kid with anxiety, who would put any marriage to the test, and parents should expect to deal with a deeply traumatized child who had witnessed inappropriate adult behaviors to an unknown extent.

Charlotte knew she had been the kid no one even introduced to prospective parents unless they had to, just to be able to write on her file that she was an unfit daughter. She was undesirable and pretty much invisible, but Charlotte had eventually made peace with it. She really wanted to become a spy some day so it kind of suited her. Nine years old was too old for a family anyway. She had known mommies and daddies didn't want a daughter all grown up. They were all immediately drawn to the little babies and toddlers who constantly babbled their nonsense. It was all they had to do and little Charlie couldn't understand the appeal. If she really, really had to be honest, Charlotte could admit to herself that it had hurt her feelings that no one ever seemed impressed that she knew how to pick a lock . The prospective parents would just glare at her in horror when she tried showing them her skills with a toothless grin on her face. She couldn't understand their reactions because she was so proud of herself!

Other thing mommies didn't care for were Charlie's art skills. She had been so distraught when one day she had tried to win over a nice lady with a painting. She couldn't see why, when the lady had asked her what she had painted and Charlotte had told her it was a fish, the lady had smiled weird at her and walked away as fast as she could. It had broken Charlie's heart to see her carefully painted fish being discreetly thrown in the garbage. She had made such a big effort to color inside the lines! It wasn't her fault she had never seen or eaten a real fish in her life. It wasn't her fault she thought a fish stick was a real fish!

That had been the first time Charlotte realized she was really dumb and the last time she had tried to impress a mommy. But, again, she was a big girl, she didn't need a mommy.

Just as back then Charlotte had understood she didn't need a forever family to take care of her and had learned to run away at any threat of attachment, she now, too, could see she didn't need Alex, or Piper, or anyone. Charlotte could run again. In fact, she would, only this time she would be smart enough to go somewhere different. Some place she had never been to before, where her odds of staying incognito would be better.


	8. Chapter 8

**A. N. /** **Warning: strong depictions of abuse **

* * *

A week dragged by and no matter how much Alex immersed herself in work she couldn't keep her mind from constantly wandering to Charlotte. Her mood was especially sour thanks to the self hatred that letting her sister be taken had caused her. The extra foul mood bode well with work though. She had one of those big shipments coming in from South Africa - 152 kilos of heroine with a street value of 17 million dollars. She would literally go to bed tomorrow morning more than 4 millions richer. The drug business was so insanely profitable Alex could just retire at this point and live a comfortable life but who was she fooling? Leaving the cartel was not an option. At least not alive. She was Kubra's best, she made him the most money, something he was very possessive about. He wouldn't just let her go even if she argued she needed to straighten her life for her sister. No doubt in her mind, Kubra would just recruit Charlotte or have her killed to keep Alex in her place. She had no option. And what else could she do anyway? She wasn't the kind of person to just do nothing with her life, and moving large amounts of drugs was her thing. That was it. She had no other kind of calling.

As her thoughts drifted yet again to Charlotte, Alex huffed feeling her temper darkening. Again, the foul mood served her perfectly for this kind of job. It made Alex ruthless, focused on the prize, it made her strategies so twisted they were pretty much infallible.

"You all settled for tonight? Kubra's counting on you."

Alex looked up from her laptop to the tall man eyeing her carefully. "It's all settled."

Fahri's eyes tweaked with pride. "Good, good," he muttered eagerly. There was no smile but Alex knew he was impressed. "How much you got comin'?"

"165 kilos."

"You sure you can handle that Vause?" He smirked. He more than knew Alex's reputation. Vause was a shark, always on top of her game.

The overconfident importer shared a twinge of a smile, adjusting her glasses on her nose. "Fuck you."

Fahri chuckled before turning serious. "I hear you're tipping them off."

"Going to lose 13 kilos," she confirmed.

"Who's the bitch?" he asked with an hint of amusement.

"Some girl from Dominican Republic."

"She knows?"

Alex gave him a curt nod, making him chuckle again. "You're cold, Vause, I'll give you that."

The brunette just shrugged. It was business. "It's not like I forced her to do it. I made an offer and she accepted," Alex stated calmly. "She was willing to go down for it. It was her decision."

"What's the trade?"

"The son gets 250 grand and medical expenses covered." Fahri nodded his approval. "That's a small price for Kubra and it will keep Airport Security crowding over her, giving us just the leverage we need for our inside man to clear the big shipments without fuss."

"People will do anything for family."

Alex stiffened at the words. Yet another reminder of how pathetic she was as a person, selling her sister out. Apparently that was something she excelled at as well: selling people out.

"Keep at it then, big girl," Fahri said. Alex only nodded, staring blankly at him. "Kubra will be pleased."

#####

They were screaming again.

Charlotte was sitting on the mattress, eyes fixed on the door, concerned. A small movement beside her brought her attention back to brown little eyes staring at her. She forced herself to smile and tapped playfully at the cute button nose, which earned her an almost silent giggle.

"Go to sleep," Charlotte said gently, tightening the blanket around the small girl's frame. "You too Austin," she added looking at the young boy on the other mattress. "It's going to be over soon."

They all knew it was a lie, but somehow still forced themselves to revel in it.

"Whad if they come in heeah?"

"You guys just pretend to be asleep" Charlotte repeated the drill, looking from one mattress to the other.

The little boy nodded, wrapping himself in the thin blanket while pushing his back flush against the wall. That way no one would be able to scare him from behind. That was the strategy of having the two mattresses forming an L shape on the basement's corner. Both kids could feel the protection of the walls and be close enough to each other to not feel alone and be able to seek the other's comfort when one or both of them got scared.

"Miss Chloe, no opening your eyes even if they offer you candy alright?" Charlotte warned, hiding most of her fear behind a playful look. When the 4 year old nodded, Charlotte smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Night, night pretty lady."

Chloe giggled, but the inviting sound soon died as her small hand accidentally bumped into Charlotte's stomach, causing the teen to wince.

"It huwts?"

"No," Charlie lied. "It's not so bad." She smiled weakly, taking a slow deep breath to try and ease the pain before slowly pushing herself off the mattress and into a standing position.

Her own mattress was in the middle of the basement, strategically placed right in front of the stairs so she would be the first to capture the Roberts' attention. It gave the little kids better odds at staying safe. As she sat down on the dirty cushion she looked back at the kids and smiled softly. "Night little dude," she whispered as she caught Austin's eyes. She never expected a reply from him, the 7 year old boy never uttered a sound, which often made him the target for verbal abuse, but the little crooked smile he offered back to her had her melting every time.

Charlotte was just dozing off when she heard the lock clicking open.

Eyes popped open, heart stopped, lungs froze and just about every muscle in her body stiffened. She wanted to look to her left, make sure the kids were not making any movement but the room was swallowing her whole and, soon, the only thing she could focus on was the sound of heavy boots stomping on each stair.

One...two...

Her lower lip quivered uncontrollably.

Three...four...

She could feel her eyes dilating, burning, gathering moisture. Her nostrils flared as she tried to draw in some air.

Five...

Her fingers tingled as the familiar icy shiver ran down her spine and a single tear escaped the pool in her eyes.

Six...seven...

Charlotte's stomach constricted as she tried to fight back a sob, but the deep, sharp pain it caused made her hiss loudly. Her head turned immediately to the stairs, she blinked fast, trying to de-blur her vision, and a stream of fast tears fell. Had he heard her?

Eight.

Her hair clung to her wet right cheek as her tears kept falling and pooling on her ear's cartilage. The wetness itched and burned the skin under her nose and on her cheek. Charlotte felt sticky.

Then, their eyes met.

She could barely make out the details of his bearded face in the dark, but the light coming through the open door was enough for her to take in her nightmare and know she would not escape his wrath.

Charlotte dry swallowed.

She wanted to sit up, at least lift her upper body a bit to try and gain some leverage, but the smelly mattress was pulling her down, holding her hostage.

Her body trembled of its own volition, but **she** couldn't move a finger.

"What ya looken' at bitch?"

Patrick Roberts' grave tone breaking the silence felt like a slap across Charlotte's face. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing she had the power to teleport somewhere else, anywhere else in the world.

"I asked you a question!" He yelled, kicking the mattress.

Charlotte gasped and her body jerked.

"Stupid bitch," he sneered, stomping his foot hard next to her head.

Charlotte flinched, causing him to let out a manic laughter at the realization he had succeeded in scaring the teen

"Bet ya'd look pretty if I crushed your throat with ma boot," he mused. The young brunette couldn't tense more, her shoulders already hurt from clenching so hard. "Buh Im'ma be nice today." He laughed. "Ya hungry bitch?"

She didn't reply. Charlotte could never tell when she was meant to speak up or just ignore him. Apparently this time the vile man actually expected an answer as her silence had him immediately stepping all over her mattress. She let out a small scream as he leaned down and pulled her up by her long hair. She tried to contain her cries and avoid his gaze as much as she could as he pulled her head back. It would only fuel his rage towards her.

"I asked a question filthy whore," he yelled into her face before spitting at her. "You fucken hungry?"

"No!" she cried out through gritted teeth as his spit mixed with her tears all over her face. She felt so disgusting.

"Ya not hungry? Too bad 'cause I gotcha some food."

Only then did Charlotte notice the bowl on his other hand. Only then did she recognize the familiar smell. He forced the bowl into her hands, shoving her face into it before letting go of her hair. She wanted to throw up but found herself swallowing back the bile rising on her throat.

"Go on bitch, eat up."

Her jaw clenched and her lips closed tightly as the strong smell hit her nostrils.

"Fucken ungrateful bitch." Charlie's face burned as it turned with the force of his slap. His hand connected to her neck and he dragged her across the room. Before she knew it, her back hit a wall without any kind of mercy and she whimpered. Patrick shot her a malevolent smile and brought his fingers to her nose, pinching it tightly. She tried to resist as best as she could, but the need to breathe was too strong. As Charlotte opened her mouth to gasp for air he shoved a tablespoon into her mouth and clamped it shut with his other hand, making her choke and causing food to spill out through her nose.

"Swallow!" he threatened close to her face. "I said: SWALLOW!" he roared, pulling Charlie's hair and banging her head against the wall.

The teen's shoulders shook as she sniffled and a fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks. Without another option Charlotte swallowed the mushy mixture. With a sickly, satisfied grin he finally let go of her and took a couple of steps back to appreciate his doing.

"Look at ya eatin' doggy food like a good bitch."

Charlotte sobbed, looking down at the bowl on her hands.

"Finish that up you worthless rag," he muttered darkly. "Don't make me say it again," he warned, raising his hand.

At his motion, Charlotte's shoulder rose automatically and her head turned down and towards the shoulder as she attempted to cover herself from the threat of a slap. When it didn't come she was quick to bring a spoon to her mouth and eat her water soaked kibble.

She sobbed as she swallowed each spoonful of cold mush.

She wanted it.

No.

She needed it.

Despite the metallic after taste, despite the humiliation, she needed it.

After a few days without eating, Charlie's body had shut down the craving for food, she had stopped feeling hungry, but the minute she swallowed the first of the dog food her stomach sprung to life and the emptiness hurt her badly. She would eat anything to quench the ravenous hunger.

As she finished the last spoon she heard him laughing. Charlotte was startled by the piercing sound of the bowl being knocked from her hands and shattering on the floor, but what caught her attention and had her eyes widening in fear was the sound of a small whimper.

Her head turned in the direction of Chloe's mattress.

"Daddy's little girl is awake."

Charlotte froze, watching him walk towards the 4 year old.

"I know you awake. Daddy heard ya. Open your eyes," he coaxed, coming to an halt and by the child's mattress. "Open your fucken eyes right now!" His tone changed abruptly causing Chloe to let out a cry and curling into a tighter ball.

"Stop!" Charlotte yelled as she saw the tell tale signs of Patrick losing his temper. Even in the dark she knew he was about to swing his foot to kick the small girl.

His head snapped and he looked over his shoulder, refocusing on Charlotte. She knew he was clenching his jaw. It was dark but she could clearly see the irate eyes marking her.

"What was that?" He got up, turning to Charlotte at once. "You talkin' back at me girl?" As he started walking towards her, Charlotte stiffened and hoped she would be swallowed by the wall. "Ya worthless piece of shit," he yelled as his hand connected to her cheek. "Tha fuck you think y'are?" he kept yelling, grabbing her by the blue sweater and throwing her to the floor.

Charlotte cried as she fell on top of the shards of glass. She couldn't care less about the cuts, she just wished he would stop and leave at once.

"Who am I?" he screamed at her. Charlotte closed her eyes tightly and shook her head. "Who. Am. I?!" he repeated so full of venom in his voice, lifting her by the sweater and shoving her back, forcefully into the floor, knocking the wind out of her. Charlotte gasped trying to suck in some air. "Answer me you bitch!"

"No," she sobbed. "Please," she begged, closing her eyes. She tried thinking about Alex, thinking about her happy place she had built in her mind where her sister was her hero but she couldn't escape reality. Alex had crushed that safety nest. She cried with a cough when sharp pain on her stomach made her double over.

"Who am I?!" He was a beast.

"Daddy," she choked, revolted and feeling the urge to vomit at the sound of her own voice saying those words.

"That's fucken right I'm your daddy. Ya fucken do as I say in ma house!" He pulled her by the sweater and dragged her tired body into the mattress. "Daddy knows what best for his pathetic bitch," he muttered, making the motion with his foot that he was about to kick her stomach again. He stopped before his boot made contact with her body but Charlotte still recoiled, making him laugh. "Don't be 'fraid of daddy. Daddy only hits when you deserve." He laughed again before turning his back on her.

Charlie watched him climb up the stairs and heard as he locked the door before she allowed her battered body to fully rest against the mattress. She winced as she tried to find a position that didn't cause so much pain on her stomach, grasping tightly at her shirt. She cried as her fingers found the holes on it from being pushed and pulled. She closed her eyes tightly but she didn't have more tears. Instead she silently begged to wake up from the nightmare and for Alex to come get her.

"Please, please, please Alex," Charlotte cried quietly.

But who was she kidding? Alex didn't want her. Alex had sent her back in here. Alex didn't care.

#####

The next morning, Alex walked into her apartment exhausted but with a thrilled smile on her face. It was such a rush to pull off these big operations, defying the law. She smiled contently as she made her way to her suite.

She needed a shower.

After turning the water on, she crouched in front of the sink and couldn't stifle a groan when she opened the drawer of towels and found none. With a sigh, she sprinted to the spare suite and directly into the bathroom to fetch a towel so she could go relax under the hot shower and catch some deserved sleep.

Finally, with a towel under her arm, she was about to leave the bedroom when a piece of crumbled paper caught her attention on the floor. She frowned and leaned down to pick it up. Her lungs nearly collapsed as she turned the paper around and saw a picture of herself. Alex recognised it as the same picture she used on her driver's license. She immediately knew it was Charlotte's picture of her.

Her frown intensified and she sighed again as her excitement was replaced with guilt and worry. She hadn't heard from her sister yet. Maybe the teen had lost her number. But that sounded more as an excuse than a real reason. Alex had fucked up and the younger girl had promised she wouldn't call her no matter what.

It worried Alex.

The drug importer couldn't deny Charlie had looked terrified as she entered the police car. Also, Piper had pretty much kicked her out of her house and told her that sooner or later Alex was going to regret her decision and that maybe by then it could be too late.

All week Alex had tried to ignore the bad feeling on her chest, but now she just couldn't. What if she really had sent Charlotte into harm's way because she had refused to listen? Because she couldn't listen.

Alex took a deep breath.

She needed to make sure the kid was alright, but first she needed sleep. She had had a stressful night and was in no condition to deal with this problem.

With a promise to call the social worker when she woke up, Alex placed the picture on the nightstand and exited the bedroom.

Charlotte's bedroom.

* * *

 **A. N. / Next chapter we'll have Diane Vause coming in and a bit more Piper.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N./ There you go guys! It took me a bit longer but it's a slightly bigger chapter than usual. I honestly hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

Alex was just driving aimlessly, occasionally stepping harshly on the gas pedal. It was as if speeding managed to pull her mind from distracting thoughts.

As much as she would have loved to sleep her day away, the brunette found herself waking up hourly with a racing heart and the unrelenting need to check on Charlotte. Alex had postponed that enough and consequently had reached a limit of the amount of ignoring that she could do. Of course Alex had had no real expectations of getting what she wanted without some kind of battle. Thankfully, because at least she was prepared to endure the frustration of trying to reason with the DCF over the phone. After six transferred calls, someone had had the nerve of disconnecting her call without some kind of explanation. It had angered Alex. A lot of contained expletives and 45 minutes later, Alex was back to the beginning. No one had been able to point her in the right direction, people kept warning her that she couldn't get access to a foster kid's information and, somehow, Charlotte's social worker was unreachable. Alex had been ready to pull her own hairs. She had merely slipped on a pair of black loose pants to go with her white V-neck and hopped in the car.

Alex always had a plan, she could always see her game a couple of moves ahead and so it kept throwing her off that she couldn't seem to gain control on this matter. The bad feeling she had regarding Charlotte's safety could probably be dismissed as intense guilt, but the brunette knew this time she actually had to reach out to her sister and talk to the teen so she could calm down.

"Should have asked her for the fucking address," Alex muttered. Of all the questions she had decided to avoid asking, the address was one she should have anticipated needing. She shouldn't have let her sister go without it and without her phone number.

As her foot hit the brake and the car stopped with a jolt as the streetlight turned to red, Alex's eyes widened. Piper would certainly know those details. The blonde actually knew her sister and seemed on top of the situation. She sighed, looking at the center panel of the dashboard. She couldn't just drive all the way to Connecticut and show up to Piper's house. It would be late by the time she arrived. She hadn't departed on the best terms and the last thing she needed was to step all over boundaries. Normally she wouldn't care, she would just show up and get her way, but this time it was probably important that she played by some sort of social rules.

She had no choice but to wait for tomorrow.

"Ten hours. I can wait ten hours," she thought, mentally counting the time.

So much could happen in 10 hours. What if Charlotte was in trouble? Alex shook her head. Ten hours couldn't possibly make the difference when she had already wasted over a week. Besides, if something had happened someone would have told her. Except... no one actually had her contact information and Charlotte had seemed very adamant she wouldn't call. Alex groaned, slamming her hand on the steering wheel and causing the horn to fire, leading the driver in front of her to give her the finger through the rear view mirror. She rolled her eyes. What the fuck was she even thinking, driving in fucking New York, she was doomed to get caught in the obnoxious traffic.

As her thoughts kept bringing up bad scenarios and as she argued with herself that none of those scenarios made sense, she parked the car. She frowned lightly, realizing for the first time where she was at. Alex let out a relieved breath. Maybe her mom could make more sense of things than she could.

"What's up kid?" Diane asked knowingly, handing Alex a beer and plopping down on the couch next to her daughter.

Alex chuckled, accepting the beer. "I missed you," she said turning her head to look at the older woman.

Diane snorted, nudging Alex playfully. "Bullshit!"

"What?" Alex protested. "Can't I miss my own mother?"

"You can baby, but I'd hope you'd be happier to see me if that was the case. You look like shit."

Alex raised her brow, taking a gulp of her beer.

Diane didn't press her daughter. She knew Alex would speak when she wanted and not a minute before that. Forcing her to talk would only cause her stubborn daughter to avoid the subject for longer.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable. Diane was happy to see her daughter, but the 5 foot deep crease on the brunette's forehead had her worried. Usually Alex made such a huge effort to hide her concerns from her. Diane couldn't help but wonder. As she watched Alex set down the empty bottle on the floor, by her feet, Diane couldn't help but nudge her daughter a bit more.

"Are you good to tell me what's the matter or do you need another one?" Then, as an afterthought, she added, "You're not in trouble with that business of yours are you? Alex Vause I swear to God I'll kick my foot into your ass if-"

Alex lifted her arms in defeat. "Not the business!" she was quick to reassure. "But thanks for the visual." She smirked.

Diane relaxed considerably. "I don't want to tell you what to do with your life, kid, but you need to get yourself away from that thing before you get into serious trouble."

Alex didn't say anything. She couldn't leave the cartel, but she wasn't about to confirm her mother's fears that her only daughter had basically made a deal with the devil.

"I guess we're just going to ignore the big snouty animal in the room then." Diane shrugged, leaning back on the couch to mimic her daughter's position.

"I have a sister," Alex finally let slip.

Diane swallowed hard as she immediately knew what that meant. Still, she tried to lighten the mood. "Last time I checked I only popped you out Alex. You on drugs, kid?"

"What the hell ma!" the drug importer scrunched her face.

Diane laughed. "Just asking."

"It's Lee's kid," Alex clarified even though it was obviously unnecessary.

Diane nodded. "Wow," she whispered, taking a swig from her nearly full beer bottle. "That's..."

"That's pretty fucked up," Alex cut in.

"I guess that's one way to put it. Did you two meet?"

"Mm.." Alex mumbled nodding.

"I see..." Diane said slowly. "You didn't get along then?"

"No." Alex shook her head. "No," she insisted. "It's not that." Alex sighed "She's in trouble."

Diane groaned, sitting straight and facing Alex with a stern face. "Please tell me she's not involved in your business."

Alex shook her head. "Nothing like that," she reassured her mother. "She just... she's in foster care."

Diane went silent for a second, frowning. "Foster care? How old is she even?"

"Seventeen." Alex's tone couldn't be drier. The more she thought of Charlotte the crankier she got.

Diane looked at Alex suspiciously. "You sure it's a sister?" she asked slowly with a warning tone to her voice. "Alex did you get knocked up and didn't tell me?" she asked, swatting the back of Alex's head. For the amount of time Diane Vause had spent at work when Alex was a teenager it was totally possible Alex had found a way to keep a pregnancy a secret.

"Ouch! What the fuck, ma?" the younger Vause protested, rubbing her head and sitting straighter. "I'm a lesbian!"

"So?" Diane shrugged. "I'm all for dick. Doesn't mean I haven't tried pussy back in my day."

Alex cocked an eye. "Okay, really?" she asked in disbelief.

"Turned out to be too wet and sticky for my liking, it kinda put me off the whole thing."

"Okay, no, you have to shut up."

"What? You a prude now?"

"No! But the image of you licking pussy is going to ruin pussy for me."

Diane rolled her eyes. "So tell me about this sister of yours."

"I don't know." Alex huffed. She really didn't know much about Charlotte, she hadn't even made an effort to learn the basics. "She seems like a nice kid, likes tech, I think, and I didn't immediately develop an allergy to her I suppose..." She settled.

Diane stared at her daughter, taking in her uneasiness. "I can feel your excitement kid," the older woman mocked.

Alex deflated. "I feel bad, okay? She came to me for help and I sent her back."

"What do you mean?"

"I honestly don't know. I freaked out because I can't have a kid depending on me, you know that."

"She asked to live with you then?"

"Yeah." Alex nodded. "I mean, no, she didn't ask that," Alex conceded, tilting her head as she spoke. "But at the same time she kinda did."

Diane raised her eyebrows in confusion and worry. It was very rare for Alex not to be coherent or for her to be so blatantly unsure.

"I think she's not taken care of properly so she keeps running away," the younger brunette explained. "She needs a place to stay."

"Taking care of a kid is not easy, I should know."

Alex glared. "I wasn't that bad..."

Diane let out a loud, heartfelt laugh, making Alex roll her eyes. "What I mean is: It's not a decision you can make without some serious thought. Having a kid changes everything."

"Whoa there! I'm not playing house. I can't... ma, the cartel..."

Diane nodded. "So if you can't then why are you so upset?"

"I feel horrible. She's a nice kid and she's on her own," Alex explained. "I was too eager to not have that burden I think I ignored a pretty serious cry for help and I feel guilty. There's a part of me that wouldn't mind so much to take her in. I mean... I'm her sister."

"It's not your fault though, is it? It's not your responsibility as a sister." Diane reasoned. She had raised her daughter to do the right thing, but taking care of someone was a big deal and she couldn't let her own kid feel like she had to do something she might not be sure of. "Listen to me, you're a good person Alex. You'd only be horrible if you took her in without being sure that's something you want. What then Alex? What happens if you take that step and you regret it? Are you going to take it out on her because you're going to have to give up your freedom?"

Diane had a point. "I don't know what the fuck to do, ma." Alex sighed. "I was sure I didn't want her permanently. It's been a week since I heard from her though and I can't handle not knowing if she's safe. I have no idea where she is, who she's with. I don't like that. I hated seeing her being taken away after I ratted her out."

Diane sighed. "What happened to her mother?"

Alex shrugged, shaking her head. "The only thing I know is she's in foster care and she was pretty fucking terrified of going back."

"So I'm guessing you're going to check on her?"

Alex nods.

"That's good baby. Maybe after you see her you'll know what you want to do. Just don't rush anything, especially if you're still unsure. It's not a fair situation for her but it wouldn't be fair on either of you to force a living arrangement that's not truly desired."

"The problem is I'm fucking scared because I think I know what I want ma, and that's to take care of my sister."

"You sure, kid?"

Alex sighs. "It doesn't matter. What matters is I need an alternative for her because I need to be able to focus on the job."

Diane frowns. "You fucking stupid, Al?" the older woman scowls. "So you didn't want the burden of a kid but you want to let the cartel control your life? Kid, I'm not going to argue with you about this again but you have so much potential. You don't need that job and if you do really feel protective of your sister what better reason do you want to fix your life?"

How could Alex tell her mother her life would be in danger if Kubra so much as dreamed she was thinking about leaving?

She couldn't.

No mother should have to hear such thing.

#####

Morning came much too slowly for Alex's liking.

Now that she had allowed her worries to permeate every aspect of her life she couldn't manage to catch any sleep. Usually, after a big drug shipment, Alex would have slept her day away and then, relishing in the euphoria, she would have partied all night. Maybe she would have brought some random woman home, even. But that hadn't been the case last night as Alex's mind had been entirely busy with thoughts of a teen sister and her blonde friend.

As soon as the red lights on her alarm clock showed 6 a.m., Alex pulled herself out of bed. She went through the motions of getting herself ready to leave, and barely took notice of anything going on around her. By the time she got in the car she honestly had no idea how she had gotten there, but hadn't stopped either to fret about that or the state of her mind. She was so busy trying to think about any scenario she could face, that there was no attention she could spare to the present moment.

It should have made her take a deep breath and try to regain perspective when halfway through her drive to Connecticut, in a moment of more clarity, Alex had actually had to look down on herself to make sure she had gotten dressed. Not that she would have cared if she hadn't at this point, but it was still a relief knowing she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself. Instead of trying to relax, Alex had drifted back into her temporary insanity.

She rang Piper's bell and her thoughts kept racing. It wasn't until she heard the blonde's voice cursing on the other side that she managed to pull herself together, dismissing yet again the fact she could barely remember driving all the way to Connecticut. Sure she had known she had been driving, but she couldn't recount the small trip even she wanted. Had she encountered traffic? Had she respected speeding limits? Probably not, but no way of being sure.

"Alex?" The brunette was once again pulled from her thoughts. "What are you doing here?" Piper asked, surprised.

"May I come in?"

"No." Piper shifted her weight from one leg to the other, ready to close the door in Alex's face if she had to.

"Please, kid," Alex begged in a husky tone, reaching for Piper's hand, as if the gentle touch would convey her good intentions. "I need your help."

Piper looked down at their adjoined hands, biting the inside of her cheek as she contemplated what to do. Finally she nodded, slowly, well aware of the fact this woman had already proved to be a plain disappointment as a person.

Alex released a breath she had been holding and let Piper lead her by the hand to the living room. For a brief second she allowed herself to take notice of the softness of Piper's fingers but before she knew it those same long fingers spread open and away from her grasp. She looked up, noticing the way Piper was looking at her, waiting for her to hint as to why she had just showed up unannounced at roughly 8 in the morning.

"I need to talk to Charlotte."

Piper folded her arms. "She's not here."

If the blonde's body language was anything to go by, Alex was sure she had just walked into a rigged house set to explode at any second if she so much as uttered the wrong words.

"I need to know where she is."

"That's an awful lot of things you need," Piper snapped.

The brunette importer sighed. "You're upset," she started, watching as Piper's eyebrows raised in annoyance. "I get it," she added quickly. "But I need to know she's okay."

Piper snorted, unfolding her arms and shaking her head. "Now you're worried?"

"Come on Piper. What did you expect me to do?" she fired back. "No, honestly, do you even know what I do for a living?"

Piper remained silent, pursing her lips as her blue eyes seemed to shift to focus on some point behind Alex. The older woman knew then that the blonde had no idea what her job entailed.

"What happens if you see she's not okay?" Piper changed the topic, taking aim at Alex once again. "Are you just going to tell her to 'hang in there' and leave again?" she mocked with venom laced words.

"I... don't know."

Piper scoffed. "Fuck you."

Alex just remained impassive. She had made a wrong decision, yes, and she knew Piper was deeply hurt by it because of how close she was with Charlotte. Alex wasn't about to take the hits personally. It would be too much to ask her to understand her position when she was so emotionally invested in the situation. "I work for an international drug cartel Piper, " she still tried to explain. "She's not safe with me and neither am I if I get an investigation."

Piper didn't miss a beat. "So quit."

"I wish it was that simple, kid."

"But it is!" There were again the folded arms. Alex wondered if Piper was holding back the urge to shove her around. "You walk up to your boss and hand him your resignation letter or whatever it is drug dealers use to formalize a resignation."

Alex chuckled humorlessly. "Take a bullet in the head then. I don't know about you but I don't think I'll be doing Charlotte any favors if it comes to that."

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two women as they both stared intently at one another. Alex was the first to break the silence, however. She was the one who felt like she owed an explanation.

"I understand a little of what she wanted from me," she confessed. "I get it Piper, and despite my initial aversion to that kind of commitment, deep down, I still wished I could give her what she wanted."

Piper tilted her head. Was Alex going down the anti-climax route again?

"I can't take her in and that's why I need your help."

Piper cocked her eye. "I'm listening."

"It's straight to the point with you, huh?" Alex teased. "Are you not going to offer me a seat?" Alex pointed to the couch. "Or some fancy lemonade? I never got to try it last time I was here," she reminded the blonde with a smirk.

Piper just glared at her, clearly not interested in manners for the time being. So much for trying to diffuse the tension...

The brunette sighed, adjusting her glasses. "I guess that's a no then."

"You're not getting anything from me until I hear what you really have to say and until I decide I'm not going to throw you out."

"So I am getting something from you then?" Alex smirked choosing to ignore the animosity.

"Alex..." Piper warned, finally making Alex hold up her hands in defeat. Guess she was really going to just dive into the subject.

"When is Charlotte's birthday?"

Piper frowned suspiciously not seeing the point of the question. "Why?" she asked slowly.

"Just answer me," Alex urged.

"November..."

"So..." the brunette paused to quickly do the math. "Eight months from now she'll turn eighteen."

Piper semi nodded, the creases on her forehead intensifying. "She can't stay with these people for 8 more months Alex!" she protested. She should have known better than to build up that twinge of hope.

Alex ignored the exasperated blonde. "I can't take her in legally."

Piper shook her head in disbelief as she started to pace in front of Alex. "I knew it. I knew it. I fucking knew you'd-"

"I need you to foster her until she can move in with me without the legal fuss," Alex explained softly under the sound of Piper's angry venting. It took the blonde a few seconds to process the words but she eventually stopped her rambling and just stared at the taller woman with her mouth hanging partially open.

"What?" Piper asked timidly, taking a slow step forward, afraid she'd just imagined the words. She needed Alex to repeat it.

"I heard you offering her to stay with you," Alex explained with a shrug. "I assumed you wouldn't oppose to me asking you to take her in for a while."

"I don't!" Piper said quickly. Alex's lip turned slightly upward at the blonde's eagerness. She was confident that this was the right solution. "But, Alex, she won't want that," the blonde worried. "You have no idea how many times she's refused."

"Well, she doesn't have another option so she has to take what she can get. I don't think she's in a position to protest and it's really just a temporary situation."

"You know you can't make her come live with me, right?"

"I'll talk to her." Alex shrugged. She was confident she could get her sister to agree, Piper however...

"Yeah, because you two talking has worked out so well so far..." she pointed out in mock amusement.

"It's her only way out so she really has to suck it up for a while." Alex didn't mean to sound so harsh but in her mind the idea that Charlotte could even think about rejecting this alternative was a stupidity. She couldn't think of any reason why she wouldn't be happy with the solution and if she was going to be honest Alex really couldn't fully understand the reason why the teen had refused Piper's help for so long, but she wasn't about to get into that.

"She's been sucking it up all he life."

Alex sighed. "Okay," Alex started. She was just going to have to be blunt. "Right now, you have to stop enabling her on this matter. She wants out, she wants to feel safe and we're giving her that but for it to happen she has to play things our way because I really have no other way of making it happen. It's take it or leave it for her." Piper bit her lower lip, unsure. Alex knew Piper knew her sister better and could probably understand some things she didn't but the blonde certainly would have to agree with her on this. "I'm not heartless, I'm just being pragmatic Piper," she reassured. "It's the only way. Do you want to help her or not?"

"Okay."

The blonde wasn't fully convinced yet but she had no arguments she could use in her favor right now. They'd just have to pressure Charlotte into taking this deal and hope that doing that wouldn't scare the teen away and make her, in any way, feel suspicious and afraid of them.

"Glad we're finally getting somewhere." Alex winked playfully before turning serious again. "Really, Piper, I never intended to hurt her feelings but you have to understand I was kind of caught by surprise and it freaked me out."

Piper was amazed. Alex could be saying the most outrageous thing in the world but the glimpses of emotion she was failing to hide right now were reeling Piper in. Maybe she hadn't been wrong at all when Alex knocked on her door that first time and she'd seen nothing but honest concern and protectiveness towards Charlotte in her eyes. And maybe she had been kind of unfair with the brunette. For all the rough edges and wrong decisions the brunette made, Piper now could see and believe in Alex's unexpected sensitive side that ultimately lead her to do the right thing.

Alex smiled shyly at Piper, noticing the blonde studying her. The intensity of her gaze was almost excruciating and she was glad she didn't believe in transmission of thoughts because, otherwise, she was sure she would become paranoid Piper was having such clear access into her mind.

"I can't do this without your help, kid."

Piper's heart soared and she felt a blush forming, her eyes widening and her lips morphing into what she knew was a pathetic smile. She shook her head. This wasn't personal. Alex just wanted to help and sister and knew Piper was key. It was business, kind of like _co-sistering_ , which reminded Piper...

"If you can convince Charlotte I'll do it."

Alex nodded. "Thank you."

"But..."

Alex chuckled. "There had to be a catch with you, huh?"

"Alex I'm serious."

"So am I."

Piper rolled her eyes, but smiled. "I'll foster Charlotte if she agrees but don't think you're off the hook." Alex raised an eyebrow. "If you're really serious about taking her in you need to make an effort to be in her life from now on."

Alex smirked and Piper sighed exasperated, knowing the brunette couldn't be serious for long and was going to make some sort of joke. "In her life huh? You sure that's not some guilty pleasure of your own? Getting to see me a lot..." She winked smugly.

Piper blushed, but still smiled. "No," she said unconvincingly. "I'll hate every minute of it."

Alex chuckled. "That's too bad, kid because I think I'll enjoy spending some time with you."

"Really?" Piper was so surprised she just blurted out the question. "I mean," she cleared her throat, trying to correct her mishap. "You need to focus, fix things with your sister, build some sort of relationship, get her to begin to trust you-"

"How about this," Alex interrupted the lecture with a knowing smile. "I'll enjoy spending some time with both of you."

Piper cleared her throat again, trying to shake her embarrassment away and steer the conversation back to safer grounds. "You wanted to talk to Charlotte," she pointed out.

Alex laughed, pulling up her glasses. "Smooth Piper...but yes," she conceded, sobering up almost instantly.

Piper stiffened as she thought of something. "I can give you her number but it's not guaranteed she'll answer."

"You think she'll recognize my number? I'm pretty sure she didn't save it on her phone."

Piper raised a brow. "You think she doesn't know your number by heart?" she asked amused. "But no, it's not that. I mean, it could be, but these foster parents..." Piper shook her head defeated causing an unsettling fear to twist Alex's stomach. "They keep taking away her phone and only let her answer under supervision. They've broken two phones I've given to her already and, to be honest," Piper paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm worried," she admitted, diverting her gaze. Feeling Alex's silent question she willed herself to voice out her concern for the first time. "She hasn't picked up any of my calls ever since she was taken." Alex could see the veins on Piper's neck bulging and beating fast. "For two days now all I've been getting is voice mail."

Alex was alarmed. If Piper had reason to look panicked Alex knew she should be concerned. "Do you think they would hurt her?" Her voice dropped so many octaves she barely recognized it. She had asked herself that same question many times during the past week but now it was different because she feared that not only did she know the answer, but that she would also get confirmation.

Piper was silent for a minute, trying to think of what to say. She didn't want to make Alex roll on her own guilt anymore. All she wanted was to stay positive and find other reasons for Charlotte's silence. "Maybe she's just angry, or maybe she ran away again..."

"Piper," Alex pressed.

The blonde sighed, taking in Alex's worried eyes. She could only soften the truth so much. "Ever since she was moved there she's started appearing here with more bruises and scrapes than usual and I've already seen her with black eyes more than once," she said softly, trying not to be too brusque about the way she revealed things to Alex. "She always denies that they did it, but I know she's just afraid of telling on them."

Alex kept nodding, avoiding Piper's eyes at all costs now. "Do you know where they live?" she whispered.

Piper shook her head. "She never told me," she replied when she noticed Alex wasn't paying attention to her anymore. "She trusts me, but not enough to believe I won't take her back there or show up unannounced." Alex lifted her eyes, frowning in confusion. "She knows I'd be all over them all the time and my suspicion is that it would only make things worse for her," Piper explained. She wouldn't tell Alex there were other ways she had noticed they were using to hurt Charlotte when they knew they couldn't leave marks. It would be too much for Alex to hear that she believed they were starving her sister or using her foster siblings as bait. Truth was, she knew she didn't know half of what happened in that place, but she knew enough to have nightmares of her own.

"So how do we find her?" Alex's voice strained. "We need to find her Piper." Her eyes were so determined, but so devastated Piper couldn't take it. Her heart clenched at the sight and she wished she had an optimistic answer for Alex, but she knew plenty well they would have to wait until Charlotte made contact. Social services were never keen on sharing information and oftentimes a request would take months to have an answer, with it usually arriving a long time after the matter had been resolved in some other way. The blonde opted to not say anything. Her words would not help anything so she just did what felt like the natural thing to do in this situation - she grabbed Alex's hand and pulled the tall brunette to the couch, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. For now all they could do was attempt phone calls and wait.

* * *

 **So what do you guys think?**

 **Is Charlotte going to accept this deal? Is Piper reeeally going to foster her temporarily? Will these two even find her? ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A.N./ There you go! I hope you enjoy this chapter.** **I'm going to warn again about depictions of abuse on this one. It's a milder chapter than chapter 8 but still… **

* * *

"Personally, I think you're crazy," Polly blurted. The brunette nursed on her bloody mary, staring intently at her blonde friend. "At least wait until she's of legal age to drink so she can tag along for girl's nights!"

"It's not going to be that bad, Pol. We can still go out."

Polly rolled her eyes. "Can't you exorcise your privileged guilt any other way?" Polly took another swig of her beverage. "I know!" She dislodged her lips from the tall glass, setting it on the table a bit too forcefully. "You could give her an allowance! Problem solved!" she pointed out. "Come on Piper," the hyper brunette begged, dragging the last syllable as she claimed Piper's forearm. "I'll even pitch in."

The blonde shook her head. The fact she wanted to take Charlie in shouldn't be as much of a surprise as Polly was making it out to be. After all, the brunette had been one of the three references Piper had provided in order to complete her foster care license. Polly had known all along Piper wanted this. "How can you not understand that I care for her? I want to do this!"

Polly huffed.

The shorter woman had never expected Piper to ever actually take this step and had been relieved on every occasion her friend had told her Charlotte had refused to live with her. She knew Piper would never have the courage to demand it happened, the blonde had made it a mission to always present the teen with choices. That was until today.

"Why are you being so unreasonable for God's sake? You're going to ruin your life over this girl. Will she even feel comfortable living with you?" the brunette scoffed. "She's probably going to feel very out of place. Let's be honest here Piper, she's not our kind," she drawled.

Piper bit the inside of her cheek hard and felt her facial expression hardening. There was nothing humorous about her friend's belittling of someone she was protective about. The blonde wanted to put Polly in her place but starting an argument with someone as thick headed as her best friend wasn't going to solve anything. "You sound so much like my mother," she gibed instead.

"Uhm!" Polly nodded rapidly, with the glass glued to her mouth, as she lifted her index finger. "Speaking of," she started, licking her lips. "Does she know what you're planning on doing?"

"No! And you're not going to tell her." Piper warned.

Polly frowned. "Like I have any desire to place myself in the middle of **that** storm." She shuddered just at the thought. "You're fucked, bitch. Admit it."

Piper shrugged. "If it wasn't for this she would find any other reason to give me hell."

"True." Polly conceded. All of a sudden her eyes popped open and her face contorted into a mischievous grin. "Remember that time Katherine Worthington dropped the D word? I swear I saw your mom's skin crawling! I thought her eyebrows were going to disappear into her hairline," she laughed, motioning for the waiter to bring her a new drink. "But really, there are just things you don't say," Polly complained, inspecting her fork before taking it to her mouth and chewing on a small piece of vegetarian pie. "Really had to agree with Carol on this one," the brunette kept rambling, scrunching her nose and pushing her plate of food away. "I mean, I'm not paying for a high-end interio decorator who doesn't know the difference between a verb and a noun. Drapes instead of curtains?" Polly shook her head in disgust, finishing her drink with a big gulp. "It's just unacceptable! Ah! You see?" She placed her glass on the table and started inspecting her arms, turning them from one side to the other. "I get chills just thinking about it!"

Piper rolled her eyes. "It's not THAT horrible." Maybe it made her itch a little, yes, but certainly there were bigger offenses.

"Are you kidding me?" Polly barked in laughter while shooting Piper a funny look. "Anyway... if you're going to become a mom, to a teenager nonetheless, what are you expecting to do about PoPi?"

"What do you mean 'what do I expect to do about PoPi'? I'm fostering Charlotte, not going to prison. I'm still going to work. And it's more of a sisterly situation by the way."

Polly raised an eyebrow. "You do realize these kids come with all fucks of mental disorders, right? Before you know it you'll be chaperoning her from psych evals, to group therapies and on to the retard club. No time for work."

Piper was getting pissed now. She knew her friend was superficial but this was just blatant disrespect towards another human being she didn't know all that well.

"Charlotte is not like that."

"Please," Polly scoffed, accepting her drink from the waiter and taking a quick sip. "Everyone knows at least a foster care horror story!"

"Charlotte is not like that. You've fucking met her!" Piper insisted, trying her hardest not to flip out on her friend.

"So what?" Polly asked, loud enough for the people on the next table to shoot them disapproving glances. "Norman Bates looks like the all-time innocent kid and look at him going!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "First, he isn't a foster kid and second, this is not a TV show, Pol."

"Excuse me for worrying about my best friend potentially opening her door to a teen psychopath," the brunette let out. "We should totally do a movie night so you can watch 'The Orphan' by the way. I promise you'll change your mind."

"I'm not changing my mind. If Alex can convince Charlotte I'm doing this."

"Alex?" Polly pressed, suddenly very curious. Maybe her friend was just trying to impress some hot guy. She could certainly understand the momentary insanity if that was the case.

"Charlotte's sister," Piper clarified, noticing as Polly's interest disappeared completely and an unimpressed frown formed on her face.

The brunette's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me? Sister?" the shorter woman asked in a mix of surprise and horror.

Piper nodded, taking a sip of her mimosa.

"Please, please tell me you're not about to make a shelter for strays out of your house!"

"I don't think that's any of your business." Piper deadpanned. "And I think you need to talk about Charlotte with a little more respect. She's not a stray, she's not retarded and she's not a criminal. She's not in foster care because of something she did wrong. Honestly Polly, I'm going to do this because I care for her so can you try not saying those things?" Piper sighed. "Or at least keep them to yourself," she added as an afterthought.

Polly huffed, defeated. "May I at least be there when you tell your mother?"

Piper smiled, rolling her eyes. "You know I could never do it without a witness to come out in my defense if she tries to murder me."

"Count me in, bitch." Polly laughed, lifting her glass again and bringing it to her lips. "I still want to know about this Alex person. Is this some kind of foster two pay for one?"

As Piper explained the entire situation to Polly, the brunette's face kept going through various states of unimpressed. Piper was thankful that at least she wasn't interrupting her and instead kept nursing on her drink. At this rate she would have to order another one soon.

"Wait, wait," Polly finally interrupted, no doubt no longer being able to hold in her judgment. "I don't understand. If she has a sister why do you have to foster her? Can't her sister just do it herself?"

Piper had of course left out the part where Alex was a drug importer and could potentially face prison time if anyone found out about her job by means of background checks. She knew by experience how invasive those were. Before she started the foster care mandatory training she had faced those herself. Piper had been fingerprinted and heavily questioned just about every topic imaginable. Her life had literally been laid bare and pried on by the social worker.

"Alex just works overseas a lot and needs some time to sort that out before Charlie can move in with her." It wasn't a complete lie.

"So this isn't permanent?" Polly asked, very relieved. "Why didn't you start there?!"

"Well, it's not an adoption is it?" the blonde snapped, annoyed.

"So? You're still taking her in when she's nearly eighteen. I was ready to bet my ass you'd just keep her after that." Polly let out.

"She's not going to live with me permanently but she's in my life forever and, although it's none of your business, if it bothers you that much, you better get used to it."

"Wow, wow, wow-kay, I need a stronger drink to digest the level of corny I just heard," Polly grimaced. "Who the fuck are you and what have you done with my narcissistic best friend!?"

"I'm not narcissistic!" Piper protested.

"Narcissistic, self-centered... same thing."

"Rude!"

#####

"Did you have any luck?" Piper asked, hopeful, as soon as she walked inside her house.

She had tried her best to cancel brunch with Polly, but the brunette had been relentless and Piper had ended up being forced to join her at the country club for what seemed like a slow, dragging week. Right now, Piper was just eager to know if Alex had gotten any closer to finding Charlotte - taking Piper's spare keys, the brunette had planned on trying to talk to someone, anyone, directly at the foster care office.

"They fucking told me to return on Monday," Alex groaned.

"Did you at least try to get her social worker's number?"

Alex raised an eyebrow at Piper. Was this woman serious?

"Am I supposed to guess what that look means?" the blonde questioned.

"Jesus Piper..." Alex grunted. "These people won't budge. When you think you're getting through to them they bring up a dozen other obstacles so no... I have nothing." Alex shook her head, yanking her glasses from her face and throwing them unceremoniously on the coffee table. "To make matters worse, Charlotte's phone is still disconnected," she whispered.

"We can't just stand by and do nothing," Piper fretted. "There has to be something we can do. She needs to know you're here, you need to apologize. She needs to hear you..." Alex watched as Piper paced in front of her. "She needs to know you care. We have to find her and tell her she doesn't have to live with the... Roberts," Piper finished slowly, barely audible. "That's it!" she let out with a sudden surge of enthusiasm.

"What?" Alex studied Piper intently trying to figure out the blone was looking at her so hopeful. She sat on the edge of the cushion, overridden with curiosity. "Piper, what is it?" Alex pressed, getting up and grabbing Piper's wrists. The blonde smiled widely, lifting her eyes to look at the brunette. Alex found herself smiling back. "What?" she asked, allowing herself to feel hopeful.

"Roberts!" Piper cried out as if she was divulging the location to an abundant goldmine. Alex just tilted her head frowning very slightly. Was she supposed to recognize something? "Alex, their last name is Roberts!" Piper elaborated, still too caught up in her own excitement. "Her foster parents!"

Alex sighed, her smile turning sad. "There has to be thousands of Roberts around here. We'll never find her just with a surname." She hated to burst Piper's bubble but they couldn't honestly drive all around Connecticut, knocking on every person's door with the surname Roberts."

Piper deflated, letting her arms drop from Alex's grasp. She turned around, closing her eyes tightly. "Fuck..." she muttered. "Fuck," she cried out, exasperated, bringing her hand to her forehead.

"Piper..."

The blonde trembled as a warm hand rested on her shoulder, nudging her to turn around.

"We'll find her, kid. I promise."

"But what if we don't? What if she doesn't reach out? What if on Monday we get nothing. Or what if it's too late. What if-"

"Piper." Alex squeezed the blonde's shoulder, trying to get her attention. "Calm down and think. Has she ever mentioned another name?"

Piper shook her head. Her eyes were glued to Alex's, willing herself to absorb some of the calmness they exuded.

 _God, they are really beautiful eyes._

"I… I don't know," the blonde exhaled, allowing Alex to push her to sit on the couch. Her legs just bent of their own accord, offering no resistance. "I don't know," she repeated more frustrated, shaking her head.

"Just try to think, try to remember something," Alex coaxed. "It's okay kid, if you can't remember we'll find something else, but just try to remember," she added, not wanting the blonde to feel guilty if she couldn't come up with a name.

"I don't know... Paul maybe," she offered. "No." She shook her head forcefully. "No, not Paul, Pete? God... I don't know I'm just making up stuff, I can't remember."

"It's okay," Alex reassured. "It's okay," she repeated, taking Piper's hand in hers and playing with her fingers. "We'll get her."

Could she really believe those words though? They had barely any options and the little they had was proving to be futile.

"It's not the first time she has her phone disconnected," Piper said out of nowhere, breaking the silence. "Maybe she ran away again," she insisted.

"I'm sure she's fine, kid." The words tasted so rancid coming out of her mouth. She didn't believe them for a second.

"Yeah. We'll just have to wait for her to go to the public library and charge her phone or send an email." Piper nodded, trying to convince herself this was just like the other times. "Maybe she'll just show up."

"Yeah. We'll get her, don't worry." At least they were together in this delusional thinking thing they were trying as of now. Alex squeezed Piper's hand, enjoying the small comfort. In a way it felt like she was a bit closer to her sister. "I can't stop wondering about what she's doing right now," she confessed.

#####

Her ankle hurt. That was the only thing on her mind. Charlotte couldn't focus on anything else. Not even the plates on her hands. The pain was so bad and her foot throbbed so much she couldn't care less about the table she had to clean and the piles of things in the sink, waiting for her to wash them.

She had been made to sit with the Roberts at the table, watching them eat, and waiting for the meal to end so she could clean up.

Usually her stomach would growl, churn and make her contort on her seat as her mouth watered, craving a bite and hoping they would at least let her have the leftovers. Today, she hadn't cared less about the food. Charlotte had been thankful they were letting the little kids eat - she suspected it was their way of taunting her even more - but other than that all she could pay attention to was the throbbing heat on her lower extremity from when she had fallen down the stairs of the basement.

Actually, that was a lie.

Shelly Roberts had pushed her. But she was a foster girl. She had learned to hide in plain sight, she had learned she had lie to protect herself from more punishment. Charlie was supposed to keep to herself and not be a bother to her foster parents. Outside of the home, people were not supposed to know what was going on either. It didn't matter she was a terrible liar, it was still her job to either keep silent or stick to the lie. All in name of preserving the family's dignity.

Right now, it was her job not to whine about her pain and ruin the Roberts' day.

"Move your ass!" Patrick yelled from the couch. "Lazy bitch," he spat nastily when she was taking too long to clean up the table.

Charlotte limped the rest of the way towards the sink, trying to avoid putting any more pressure on her right foot than she had to. Unfortunately, as Patrick raised his voice she was pulled from her misery in a startle, causing her to jump and apply a lot of force on the hurt joint.

She hissed in pain.

"What ya cryin' about huh?"

She didn't say anything. Charlie knew it wasn't any use telling them anything. That was another reason why she had kept silent about her injury. They had caused it so why would they care if the pain was excruciating? They had laughed when she fell, so why would it matter that it had been half a day already and the pain was only getting worse?

Charlotte let silent tears fall, knowing she would have to push through. Complaining was bound to make it worse. She did the dishes, put everything in its place and cleaned the kitchen area, glancing at the couch from time to time, where Chloe and Austin were watching TV with the Roberts.

At least, when the Roberts were getting a kick out of tormenting her, the kids got to have some peace. They always liked to rub it in her face how bad she was. If the little kids weren't being punished and she was, she really had to accept she was the single horrible person in this house. It meant she really was the only one always causing trouble and ruining everything for everyone. Yes. The Roberts knew just how to humiliate and degrade her. No matter how much she tried to reason and tell herself she had done nothing to deserve this sort of treatment, they always managed to break her. After all, she couldn't accept that the whole world was crazy and she was the only one who knew better.

Everyone had always hated her, abandoned her, punished her for things she hadn't done. It wasn't just the Roberts – they were just the current rock in her shoe. Her mother had done it, teachers had done it, and some other foster parents had done it. She'd been in over a dozen houses and they all had gotten rid of her because she was bad. With that kind of background it wasn't hard to believe the Roberts. They had to be right. She was horrible, she was useless.

Charlotte limped to the basement.

"Where ya think you goin'?" Shelly snarled, causing the other three to look at Charlotte.

As usual, it was best to remain silent.

"Bring me 'nother beer, cunt," Patrick bit.

She couldn't exactly protest. She was theirs to do as they pleased. The only thing she could do was comply. Even then it wasn't guaranteed she would be safe.

Charlotte was just about to stretch her hand to give Patrick the Heineken when her foot failed her and she tripped on the rug. She bit her lower lip so harshly she could already taste the blood, but it was useless because she couldn't contain the cries anymore.

"Shut the fuck up and get up!" Patrick spat. "Look at the fucken mess! You a screw up!"

"See what you did?" Shelly started, getting up and walking to her.

Charlotte was in too much pain to notice the woman staring down at her. She would have attempted to move away otherwise.

"Always ruinin' everything!" Shelly seethed, nudging her with the foot. It should have been a warning for Charlotte to get up.

"Get the fuck up!" Second warning.

"I'm sorry," Charlie cried, grabbing tightly at her leg just above the point where it hurt. "I'm sorry," she sobbed, feeling the snot mixing in with her tears.

"Fucken ridiculous," Patrick snapped, getting up and pushing his wife out of the way.

"No, please!" Charlotte screamed as he leaned to grab her by the arms. "Please, my foot hurts too much," she cried as he pulled her up.

"Cry baby," Shelly jabbed with a shake of her head. "You," she turned to Chloe "Tell Charlotte how stupid she is," she coaxed in a menacing tone.

Charlotte gasped as Patrick pushed her to the couch causing her to land roughly on it and nearly hit Austin with her elbow.

"Do you want to go in the closet?" Charlotte heard Shelly threatening Chloe. She looked at the little girl whose eyes were brimming with tears and saw her shaking her head quickly. The last time they had locked Chloe in the closed she had screamed her lungs out for hours until they finally let her out. "Then tell Charlotte how stupid she is for ruining everyone's day!"

Chloe sobbed, looking down at her lap.

"Closet it is," Patrick announced, moving over to the small child.

"Charlie is 'tupid!" the 4 year old screamed as Patrick walked past Austin and leaned towards her.

Both adults laughed.

"See?" Shelly scoffed looking at the teen. "See how pathetic you are?"

Charlie sniffled, trying to ignore the words and rubbing her thigh as if it would soothe her ankle.

The older woman shook her head and grabbed Charlie's leg harshly, yanking her shoe and sock practically in a single motion. Charlotte bit her already bleeding lip, trying to suppress another cry and looked down. Her foot was all swollen and purple. More tears ran down Charlie's cheek as she saw how bad it looked.

"Quiet," Patrick spat from his standing spot next to Chloe.

"This is nothing." Shelly shrugged. "You'll be fine." Charlotte could be dying and Shelly would say the same thing. None of the adults would risk taking her to the hospital with an array of unexplainable cuts and bruises. "Come on. Get up," Shelly demanded in her natural crude tone, throwing the discarded shoe and sock on the teen's lap.

"Get in the basement before I have ta take ya myself!"


End file.
